25

"Harry, please wait!" Denise called after him. Harold just kept walking. He just wanted to be far from that place, far from his mother.

"Harry, please. Don't go," Denise felt helpless. She really did not want Harold to be mad at her. Harold finally stopped and she was able to catch up with him. He was still angry, but it was not as hard as earlier.

"Harry, please don't be mad at me. I was only trying to help you and your mother. I just want you to speak with her and clear things up. If you still feel the way you feel about her after speaking with her, I promise I will not get in-between anymore. Please."

Harold clenched his teeth. He was really mad that Denise had set up this arrangement without his consent. He did not want to talk to his mother and he felt like hitting a wall whenever he saw her. However, he was somewhat happy that Denise did this. That showed him that Denise was indeed thinking of his well being.

He sighed and dropped his shoulders, which was tensed up due to all the anger he was feeling.

"Fine. I am doing this because you asked me to. But please give me a heads up next time, I don't like surprises such as this," Harold said.

Denise felt so relieved when Harold agreed to speak with his mother. He almost hugged him but remembered she was in public. And she did not want to be in the news just yet, so she completed herself.

"Can we go back now?" Harold nodded.

Mrs. Sandy sat down on one of the chairs, looking at the sea. The waves looked angry yet comforting. It gave her some sort of relief from her aching heart. Her son had just stormed off in anger. The look in his eyes as he looked at her broke her heart in pieces. She felt bad for bringing Denise into this. Denise looked like a nice girl, and she was so happy to have met her.

She sipped on the drink she had ordered, as she continued looking at the sea and its beautiful beach. She turned a bit and saw Denise and Harold approaching her. She smiled instantly when she saw them. She had not thought Denise would succeed in getting Harold to come back. She quickly got up to welcome them.

Harold and Denise approached the older woman. She looked kind of pleased to see them.

"You are back," that's all she managed to say.

"Yes, we are back. Please, sit down, ma'am. I will have to leave the two of you alone. You two need some time to yourselves to talk. I will wait in the other summer hut over there."

Denise started walking away when Harold suddenly grabbed her wrist. " Don't go far away. Stay close," he whispered to her.

"I will be close by. Don't worry," she smiled back at him and whispered.

Harold let go of her and she walked away. He sat on the other chair that faced his mother. "You wanted to talk to me. So, let's talk." he sounded a bit harsh.

"How are you doing son?" his mother asked him.

"I am fine. I am doing well without you, thank you very much."

"Son, I know I have not been the best mother to you. I know I have wronged you. That is why I want to ask you to forgive me."

"I want to understand something. Why did you leave? Did you not love me? Was I a burden to you?" Harold asked. He was hurt, very hurt.

"No, son. You were never a burden. You were my happiness, my life. I loved you with all my heart and I still do."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because I could no longer the abuses I was suffering from your father. I was going through a lot of emotional and physical abuse when I was still living with him. I always woke up with a bruise on my face. And what made it worse was that he never cared. He thought beating me was a way of letting me know he owned me. I had enough, that is why I left. I wanted to leave with you. But, he threatened he will find us and kill you if I left with you. I was scared, that is why I left you behind. I tried coming back for you so many times, but he kept threatening me. I was scared he would hurt you if I did not stay away. I am sorry son. I was a coward. I am so sorry." She began to cry.

Harold felt like cold water had been poured all over him. When he was with his father, the man always told him his mother left him because he was weak and a good for nothing. He never stopped blaming him for his mother's departure. He never knew his mother was going through all these threats. It sounded new to him. He watched his mother carefully, to see if she was lying to him. But he found no sign of dishonesty from the older woman.

The anger left his body and he felt calmer. "Father told me you left us because of me. He said you did not care about me. He always said that to me anytime he hit me. That man made sure to make me hate you. And I did end up having you."

Mrs. Sandy gasped in shock when Harold said his father used to hit him too. "He started hitting you? When did it start?"

"I was just three when it began. I don't remember what exactly I did, but the relationship between me and my father just changed."

Harold narrated everything he went through in his father's house to his mother as the woman continued to cry. After he was done, he saw how disappointed his mother looked. She was blaming herself for all that happened. Harold took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to his mother. She took it and wiped off the tears from her eyes.