Page 58 of When Love Becomes A Need
He released a frustrated sigh. “Would it kill you to call me ‘dad’?”
“Did it kill you to walk out of my life for almost ten years?”
After locking my door, I walked to my car and got inside.
The last person I wanted to converse with was my pathetic dad. I had been good about dodging his calls, but because I was rushing, I didn’t realize I had answered.
“Look, I know what I did was wrong, and I regret how I handled things, but I want to make that up to you.”
I snorted. “I’m grown now, Dan. I don’t need you.”
“I know that, but I…” he paused for a minute. I heard him talking to someone in the background before returning to the phone. “I want to fix our relationship. You have two brothers that want to get to know you, and I want you to get to know them.”
Smacking my lips, I had to bite the inside of my jaw to keep from going off.
“So, what do you suppose we do, Dan?”
“I want you to come to dinner at my house.”
This time I busted out laughing and yanked my wheel to avoid going into the other lane. “Come to dinner? With you and the woman you cheated and left me and my mom for?”
“Fatima.”
“Dan.”
“Please, I know I don’t deserve this, but I really want to try and salvage our relationship. My wife also wants to get to know you. I just don’t want my only daughter hating me anymore.”
I stopped at the light that had just turned red as I approached it. Tapping my fingers against my steering wheel, I thought about my dad’s proposal. I had only seen my brothers a few times because I refused to be around him and his wife.
Even with him making amends with my mom, I still didn’t want to be bothered with him. I felt like once my dad left, he should have stayed gone. Each time he called me or tried to get in contact with me, it just reopened old feelings I didn’t want to keep dealing with. I was already having a hard time letting Ahmad in, and I didn’t want to be battling my dad.
“Fatima?”
“Text me the details, and I’ll see if I’m free,” I sighed, thinking about my mom’s words.
“Really?” I could tell my dad was smiling now.
“Yes, Dan.”
“I’ll send you the address. How is this Thursday at eight?”
“Okay.”
There was silence.
“Okay, well I’ll see you then. I love you, Fatima.”
“Bye, Dan,” I said, hanging up.
I hope he didn’t expect an I love you back.I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to fully forgive my dad and let him back into my life. I would love to have a relationship with my brothers, but part of me envied them. They grew up with our dad, while he deserted me.
There were days I would cry for my dad, only for my mom not to be able to get in contact with him. I used to follow my brothers on social media until I saw how much my dad did for them and decided to stop.They still followed me, even liked my stuff sometimes, but I couldn’t bring myself to interact with them. I know it wasn’t their fault our dad was shitty, but it was the principle.
I pulled into Ahmad’s driveway but noticed his car wasn’t parked outside. I picked my phone up to call him and saw he had texted me letting me know he’d be right back and the door was open.
I grabbed my bags and got out of the car.
Making my way to the door, my eyebrows knitted together at the girl sitting on the porch on her phone. When I glanced back I noticed a foreign car parked in front of the house.
