4 Part III My Dad

"I have always loved your dad with all of my heart. I admired his passion for helping people."

"What does this have to do with anything mom? You just got mad at me after you found out that I got beat up."

" These are the consequences of selfless acts. You have to think of your own well being first. You could have gotten killed Edward."

"I'm sorry mom."

"You have nothing to be sorry about Edward. I don't want you to end up like your father."

" You know what happened to dad?"

She realized what we has said.

"Promise me you'll be safe. I can't loose you too. I just can't-"

"You won't lose me. I'll always be here. You promise me that you'll be safe too mom."

" Ditto."

There was a pause of closure. Then I realize that she just switched up the topic mid conversation.

"So you know what happened to dad?"

" No. Only that he got to caught up in his work, and that he went missing."

"Funny. You're always the one that protects him. Now you make him sound antagonistic."

"He was a very complicated man. I already see him in you."

"I'm not complicated."

"Not yet."

Suddenly, my mom slammed on the break, and swerved the car. We crashed on the nearest tree in a very loud impact that jarred my brain severely.

I start seeing lights. Not the kind of lights that you see when you hit your head really hard. Lights that you would see on a computer that is just about to be booted up.

My mom, surprisingly, is conscious.

"Edward!!! Are you okay?"

"Yeah mom!! I'm more worried about you!"

"I'm fine."

She turns around, in a manner that makes it look like she is hiding. Very subtle.

"You said you were curious about your dad right? Well son, he's the guy we just avoided."

"That's my dad?"

"Yes. But most likely it's not."

"What do you even mean mom?"

"Now, I will fight him off. You make a run for it, understood?"

"Mom, dad looks like he can murder someone right now."

"You made a promise son."

"Yeah, but so did you."

My mom pauses again. Which is kind of inconvenient considering the kind of situation we're in right now.

"How do you feel son?"

"Mom, you just asked me that."

"No, I mean do you feel different?"

"Kind of."

"You've been experiencing several head traumas. We can't risk putting you in a line of fire."

"Line of fire?"

"You'll be my eyes and ears. Your powers are extra sensory. You can predict attacks even before they happen."

"Powers?"

" Right now, I will need you to use them."

"Do you have powers too mom?"

She slams the door of the car down with tremendous force.

"No, but I know how to hold my own."

She charges at my dad, who looks extremely jacked. It looks like he's on steroids x2

"Sometime today would be nice son, I need his pressure points."

"I don't know how this works mom!!"

"It's like walking son!"

That is literally what she tells me every time.

I focus with all my might.

Still nothing.

"I can't do it mom!!!!!"

"You can do it son! Just believe!!!!"

I try even harder.

It gets hard as I see that she is getting beaten.

I panic and get a log and slam it against my dad's face.

"Come at me bro!"

Saying this was weird cause he's my dad.

He is enraged, saying: "Is that how your mom raised you?"

He pushes me to the side, and charges at my mom.

He snaps the log in half, in a way that makes one of the halves larger.

I really hope he isn't going to do what he is about to do.

At that moment.

All the rage...

All the hatred...

All the anger...

That I have felt toward my father, my bullies, and everything else in the world that has undermined me and threatened my mother...

I black out.

The next conscious moment I have...

My father is on the floor.

I'm holding the dull end of the log.

The sharp end of the log is pointed to my fathers head.

"Son!!! Stop!! Please!! We can save him."

I am horrified at the deed that I was about to do.

I drop the log.

I lean toward my dad, same way my bully did to me.

" Don't ever do that again."

I pick up my mom, and we walk away.

"Call 911."

"We can't. This is a code 0."

"Mom, I think you and I need to have a serious conversation when we get home."

I tried to get certain things out of my mind at that point. But now I realize that my mom was right.

I am complicated.