37. King
It’s been two weeks since I got Sparrow home from the hospital, and we are slowly getting back to normal. Sparrow had nightmares for the first week, but those have slowly gone away. She was feeling guilty over taking a life, but I reassured her, it was him or her. I have no doubt if she didn’t do what she did, she wouldn’t be here.
The kids started school today, something that neither Sparrow nor I were ready for. Telle and Loch were able to be in the same class, something that they were both happy about. Once we dropped the kids off at school, I brought Sparrow to Skye’s house so they can finalize the baby shower plans, and I snuck out, saying I had an errand.
Letting myself into Dad's house, I find him on the back deck. He puts his cigarette out before coming to give me a hug. “Son, everything okay?”
The one thing about Sparrow’s ordeal is everyone checks in more, if that’s possible. Except me and Ace; we both have been keeping our distance. I’m surprised Skye hasn’t talked Cam into moving in with us. She has been over every day and only leaves when Cam forces her to.
“Yeah, I had something to ask you.”
Sitting down, my dad says, “Shoot.”
“I was wondering if I could have grandma’s ring?” My grandma ruled this family with an iron fist, but she was the best. She only lived for another three years after we moved up here, but in that time, we got close.
“For Sparrow?”
Who else would I be asking to give a ring to? Is he drunk?
“Of course, for Sparrow,” I respond
Wordlessly, my dad gets up and walks back inside. A few minutes later, he comes back and hands me a ring box.
“I get it now. How you were when I got you up here. Sparrow is it for you, she’s always been it for you. Your person. Not everyone gets that in this lifetime. Hold on to it,” he tells me.
I’m silent for a few minutes because of all the conversations my dad and I have had, they’ve never been like this. When I moved here, he told me to suck it up. I’ll find someone else, I’m still young.
“I know it doesn’t make sense. I knew when I left her at seventeen, that there would never be another Sparrow. And there wasn’t. Now I have her and our perfect fucking kids, and I don’t know how I got so lucky. I don’t know if I deserve to be this happy.”
“You do. You all do. I didn’t give you a good childhood, and that’s something I will hate myself for, for the rest of my life. I’ve tried my best to make up for it. But seeing you with your family, son, that makes everything worth it.”
My dad is not an emotional person…at all. But once the kids arrived, he’s been showing a different side, a side I wasn’t sure existed.
“You going to forgive your brother any time soon?”
Ace has barely been home since Sparrow got out of the hospital. Sparrow has begged me to let him off the hook, but he needs to grow up and start thinking about other people.
“Eventually,” I finally respond. I will forgive him, but it will take some time. Looking down at my phone, I stand up. “I’ve got to go pick up Sparrow so we can go get the kids. Actually, can I come back for this? I won’t have anywhere to hide it since I’m picking up Bird.”
Dad puts the ring back in the safe and I leave to get Sparrow. I wasn’t on board leaving her, but Cam swore that he would stay home. I won’t admit it, but I’ve been watching her location the whole time we haven’t been together.
I’m not taking any more chances.