Roshan, it’s nice to meet you.” Abi took his hand briefly.
“Likewise and I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”
“The more the merrier.” Abi slid into his window seat and glanced up at me.
I ignored the brotherly glare as I settled into my seat. I knew what he was thinking.
Michael
“We’ve landed. Heading to Abi’s now. I’ll call you tonight when I settle in.” Krishna spoke loudly into my ear.
“I’ll grab your bag, Krish, go ahead.” An unfamiliar voice said in the background.
“Who was that?” I questioned my wife.
“Umm, that was Charlie.”
“Who the hell is Charlie?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster.
“A friend.”
“A friend? Why the hell is he in Toronto with you?”
“He found Abi for me, he has been with me this entire journey to find my family. He wanted to see it through, I wanted him to be here.”
“Okay, Krishna. Whatever. I’ll talk to you later.” I said still managing to keep calm.
“I hear the attitude in your voice, Michael. I promise Charlie is just a friend.” She attempted to console me.
“Yeah, I get it.” I remarked.
“There’s really nothing to get. I’ll talk to you tonight, I love you.” I could hear her frustration through the phone.
“Okay, sounds good. Love you.” I ended the call.
Who the hell was Charlie and why was he so invested in my wife that he left the country with her to search for her family. I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t think about it at the moment. I was white in the face as I ended the call and finished packing our things. Everyone in the house was stricken with fear. Thirty minutes had passed since my stepmother, Patricia, had called with the news; my father had a stroke. The plane was booked and we were all headed to Texas to be with them. Though the diagnosis was grim, we were all pulling for our father and hated that all of his children were 1,700 miles away.
I packed the last of the kid’s things before I finally felt the gravity of the situation taking over me. My father was dying. I blinked back tears as I slid down the wall in the hall clutching Torrin’s stuffed rabbit. I hated my father so much sometimes but in the moment, knowing I may never get to talk to him again. I felt nothing but an unwavering love for the cheating bastard.
“Michael?” Alex saw me as she came up the stairs. I didn’t look up or respond. I was numb and Alex was the last person I wanted to be around. “Are you alright?” She knelt placing her hand on my knee. I looked at her hand and she quickly removed it and apologized.
“I’m fine.” I wiped the tears from my face and stood straightening my pants and shirt. “I’m good.” I grabbed her hand and helped her from the floor. “You guys should stay and enjoy the rest of the week.”
“No, it’s fine. We’re going to head home. That way we’ll be there to keep an eye on the company and the houses. I already let you’re security know that you may be extending vacation and to keep a tight eye on everything. I talked to Lisa and let her know that you would check in later in the week. She said that she can hold things down, go take care of your father and get back to her when you can.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” I wanted to hug the Alex that was my friend, the Alex that knew my father and enjoyed vacations with him and I eons ago. But instead I gave her a warm smile and picked up my kid’s bags and headed to load the car.
I wanted to call Krishna and tell her to meet me in Texas. I needed her but at the same time what she was doing, meeting her birth mother for the first time was so important to her. I promised myself I wouldn’t call her until I saw my father and could assess the situation myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my stepmother, I just wanted to see with my own eyes.
Michael Joseph Scott Sr. was as healthy as an ox. He wasn’t retired but he also didn’t run the day to day operations of any of the family companies. He
“Likewise and I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”
“The more the merrier.” Abi slid into his window seat and glanced up at me.
I ignored the brotherly glare as I settled into my seat. I knew what he was thinking.
Michael
“We’ve landed. Heading to Abi’s now. I’ll call you tonight when I settle in.” Krishna spoke loudly into my ear.
“I’ll grab your bag, Krish, go ahead.” An unfamiliar voice said in the background.
“Who was that?” I questioned my wife.
“Umm, that was Charlie.”
“Who the hell is Charlie?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster.
“A friend.”
“A friend? Why the hell is he in Toronto with you?”
“He found Abi for me, he has been with me this entire journey to find my family. He wanted to see it through, I wanted him to be here.”
“Okay, Krishna. Whatever. I’ll talk to you later.” I said still managing to keep calm.
“I hear the attitude in your voice, Michael. I promise Charlie is just a friend.” She attempted to console me.
“Yeah, I get it.” I remarked.
“There’s really nothing to get. I’ll talk to you tonight, I love you.” I could hear her frustration through the phone.
“Okay, sounds good. Love you.” I ended the call.
Who the hell was Charlie and why was he so invested in my wife that he left the country with her to search for her family. I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t think about it at the moment. I was white in the face as I ended the call and finished packing our things. Everyone in the house was stricken with fear. Thirty minutes had passed since my stepmother, Patricia, had called with the news; my father had a stroke. The plane was booked and we were all headed to Texas to be with them. Though the diagnosis was grim, we were all pulling for our father and hated that all of his children were 1,700 miles away.
I packed the last of the kid’s things before I finally felt the gravity of the situation taking over me. My father was dying. I blinked back tears as I slid down the wall in the hall clutching Torrin’s stuffed rabbit. I hated my father so much sometimes but in the moment, knowing I may never get to talk to him again. I felt nothing but an unwavering love for the cheating bastard.
“Michael?” Alex saw me as she came up the stairs. I didn’t look up or respond. I was numb and Alex was the last person I wanted to be around. “Are you alright?” She knelt placing her hand on my knee. I looked at her hand and she quickly removed it and apologized.
“I’m fine.” I wiped the tears from my face and stood straightening my pants and shirt. “I’m good.” I grabbed her hand and helped her from the floor. “You guys should stay and enjoy the rest of the week.”
“No, it’s fine. We’re going to head home. That way we’ll be there to keep an eye on the company and the houses. I already let you’re security know that you may be extending vacation and to keep a tight eye on everything. I talked to Lisa and let her know that you would check in later in the week. She said that she can hold things down, go take care of your father and get back to her when you can.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” I wanted to hug the Alex that was my friend, the Alex that knew my father and enjoyed vacations with him and I eons ago. But instead I gave her a warm smile and picked up my kid’s bags and headed to load the car.
I wanted to call Krishna and tell her to meet me in Texas. I needed her but at the same time what she was doing, meeting her birth mother for the first time was so important to her. I promised myself I wouldn’t call her until I saw my father and could assess the situation myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my stepmother, I just wanted to see with my own eyes.
Michael Joseph Scott Sr. was as healthy as an ox. He wasn’t retired but he also didn’t run the day to day operations of any of the family companies. He
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