Chapter 9
Parental Guidance
I'd been back nearly two weeks and had taken care of the Temple, hired a groundskeeper, an American named Tom, and patrons loyal to the temple had slowly started coming back after seeing the announcement I'd place in the newspaper. I'd also enrolled myself in a small but reputable college. There was only one thing I hadn't done. I hadn't seen my father.
When I was little, I had always wondered about my father, what kind of man he was, the way he lived his life, how mysterious he was to me. When I got older, the mystery faded and I saw my father through the jaded eyes of teen angst. When he did that interview for Barbara Walters, calling me a freak and saying that my mother died because of me, I tried to tell myself that they were Malachite's words and not my father's. He just did all that before anyone could question him personally and destroy him politically. But deep down I knew the truth. My father hated me. That's why he said all those terrible things about me and that's why he left me at the temple with his father in law, whom he also hated, after my mother died. Because he really did hate me for being like my mother and blame me for her death and would never forgive me for either.
His secretary knew me on sight but that didn't stop her from rising in protest as I brushed past her and straight into my father's office.
His office was large, at one end had a meeting table that fit at least twenty people and at the other, overlooking a fantastic view of the bay, his desk. He was meeting with some business associates, or so I gathered by the cigar smoke and smell of old coffee that clouded the room. My father stood, looking very surprised.
"Excuse, me but this is a private meeting," he said impatiently.
"You have no idea who I am." My father was silent. I looked from my father to the men seated around him. "Gentlemen," I said, feeling like I had just come from something like The Godfather, "I'd like you to know that your business associate here does not recognize his own daughter."
"Raye? My god! Why you're so - "
"Grown up? Yes, I know."
He made a gesture for a hug but I stood where I was. "What, not going to give your own father a hug after so long?"
"No."
It made me sick to hear the surprise in his voice. "Well why not?"
"I haven't come here to kiss and make up, Father. I've got a bone to pick with you."
"Gentlemen," my father said hastily, "if you please, I need some time alone with my daughter. Shall we adjourn until say, this time tomorrow?"
My voice was sharp. "No! Stay where you are, gentlemen, I want you to hear this! You need to know with what kind of man you're doing business."
"Are you out of your mind, Raye?! This is private, between just you and I! I won't allow my private life to get mixed up in my business life!"
"They will stay here until I have finished! I want them to see the kind of man they support!" I walked around the room, pointing at the men. "Tell them, Father, what kind of husband you were to my mother once you found out about her gifts! Tell them that you were repulsed, that you ignored her and left her at her temple alone while she was pregnant with me because you were too busy buying votes to love her the way she needed to be! Tell them that I inherited her gifts and you hated me for it! You hated the thought that I was part of you and that I wasn't exactly like you! You hated me so much that after she died you just left me at the temple without even a goodbye or the slightest explanation of why! You didn't care whether or not I needed you, you wanted nothing to do with me!"
"You should have been left in that institution," my father replied in a very cold voice. "You're insane, whatever you got yourself involved with has brainwashed you, it's that damn Temple, you've been there since you got back, haven't you?" I shook my head, trembling with anger. "It's those women you're in league with then! You're not the same girl I used to love so much..."
I pointed my finger at him. "No, don't do that! Don't you dare! These people may believe you but I know the truth! Everything you said about me eight years ago, they were all lies! Just like the lies you're telling now! You never loved me so don't you pretend to start now!"
"I'm calling the cops, Hino. This girl is obviously hysterical," one of the men from the table said, pulling out a cell phone.
"No!" I ripped the phone from his hand and threw it on the ground. "I'm not hysterical. I came here only to see my father and to tell him what I think of him. Now that I have, I'll leave." I tightened my grip on my handbag and moved to the door. "One day, you're all going to go to sleep and not wake up for a thousand years. And when you do, Father, I'll be everything you ever hated about me. I'll be Sailor Mars, the freak, with more power than you'll ever hope to have in a thousand lifetimes. You're going regret that you ever knew me."
"Say that again, young lady, for the record." I wheeled around. A policeman stood in the doorway, handcuffs dangling almost comicly from his forefinger.
"Oh, crap..."
******
I was arrested for the first time in my entire life for threatening my father. Apparently my father had a button under the table for security and had pushed it when I wasn't paying attention. He pressed charges, of course, for tresspassing and harrassment and I spent the night in jail. I had to call Serena to bail me out and told her to bring Andrew with her, figuring that he might be able to help Serena calm me down. They let me go home for an hour so I could shower and dress and we all went out to breakfast.
"Not a good way to win over public favor," Serena said with a slight giggle.
"Who said anything about winning over the public?" I asked, taking a bite of my omlete. "Besides, I didn't threaten him. All I said was one day he'd regret knowing me. Can I help it if the man too that totally out of context?"
Andrew grinned. "Uh, Raye?"
"Yes, Andrew."
"Generally when someone says something like that, it is a threat. You just threatened your own father."
I waved my hand. "The old man didn't give a dam about that so called threat. He just wanted me out because I was making him look bad in front of his buddies. Got a reputation to maintain, you know."
"Well, Serena, at least you know one of your non-supporters already."
Serena laughed. "Non-supporter? Just call it like it is, Andrew. He's a future political enemy."
"That may be so, you guys, but I know his weaknesses. Point them out and he'll crumble, easily. I'm shrewd, I know. I learned everything I know from good old dad. After all, I'm not a Hino for nothing!" I grinned.
~Continued on Chapter 10 Parental Guidance Pt 2~
AN: I love author's notes! Anyway, I made Raye's father really mean so that well, everyone's got to have emotional baggage and he's hers. I really like this chapter, it's one of my favorite pieces I've ever written - at all. Looks like this is going to be a 15 chapter story, too. Outlines are really good at keeping everything you want to accomplish at hand, by the way. I'm becoming more of a fan of them every day! ^_^ Anyway, hope this was enjoyable. Next chapter is everyone else going to resolve things with their parents, should be good and emotional. Thanks! Atheistmoon ^_~
Parental Guidance
I'd been back nearly two weeks and had taken care of the Temple, hired a groundskeeper, an American named Tom, and patrons loyal to the temple had slowly started coming back after seeing the announcement I'd place in the newspaper. I'd also enrolled myself in a small but reputable college. There was only one thing I hadn't done. I hadn't seen my father.
When I was little, I had always wondered about my father, what kind of man he was, the way he lived his life, how mysterious he was to me. When I got older, the mystery faded and I saw my father through the jaded eyes of teen angst. When he did that interview for Barbara Walters, calling me a freak and saying that my mother died because of me, I tried to tell myself that they were Malachite's words and not my father's. He just did all that before anyone could question him personally and destroy him politically. But deep down I knew the truth. My father hated me. That's why he said all those terrible things about me and that's why he left me at the temple with his father in law, whom he also hated, after my mother died. Because he really did hate me for being like my mother and blame me for her death and would never forgive me for either.
His secretary knew me on sight but that didn't stop her from rising in protest as I brushed past her and straight into my father's office.
His office was large, at one end had a meeting table that fit at least twenty people and at the other, overlooking a fantastic view of the bay, his desk. He was meeting with some business associates, or so I gathered by the cigar smoke and smell of old coffee that clouded the room. My father stood, looking very surprised.
"Excuse, me but this is a private meeting," he said impatiently.
"You have no idea who I am." My father was silent. I looked from my father to the men seated around him. "Gentlemen," I said, feeling like I had just come from something like The Godfather, "I'd like you to know that your business associate here does not recognize his own daughter."
"Raye? My god! Why you're so - "
"Grown up? Yes, I know."
He made a gesture for a hug but I stood where I was. "What, not going to give your own father a hug after so long?"
"No."
It made me sick to hear the surprise in his voice. "Well why not?"
"I haven't come here to kiss and make up, Father. I've got a bone to pick with you."
"Gentlemen," my father said hastily, "if you please, I need some time alone with my daughter. Shall we adjourn until say, this time tomorrow?"
My voice was sharp. "No! Stay where you are, gentlemen, I want you to hear this! You need to know with what kind of man you're doing business."
"Are you out of your mind, Raye?! This is private, between just you and I! I won't allow my private life to get mixed up in my business life!"
"They will stay here until I have finished! I want them to see the kind of man they support!" I walked around the room, pointing at the men. "Tell them, Father, what kind of husband you were to my mother once you found out about her gifts! Tell them that you were repulsed, that you ignored her and left her at her temple alone while she was pregnant with me because you were too busy buying votes to love her the way she needed to be! Tell them that I inherited her gifts and you hated me for it! You hated the thought that I was part of you and that I wasn't exactly like you! You hated me so much that after she died you just left me at the temple without even a goodbye or the slightest explanation of why! You didn't care whether or not I needed you, you wanted nothing to do with me!"
"You should have been left in that institution," my father replied in a very cold voice. "You're insane, whatever you got yourself involved with has brainwashed you, it's that damn Temple, you've been there since you got back, haven't you?" I shook my head, trembling with anger. "It's those women you're in league with then! You're not the same girl I used to love so much..."
I pointed my finger at him. "No, don't do that! Don't you dare! These people may believe you but I know the truth! Everything you said about me eight years ago, they were all lies! Just like the lies you're telling now! You never loved me so don't you pretend to start now!"
"I'm calling the cops, Hino. This girl is obviously hysterical," one of the men from the table said, pulling out a cell phone.
"No!" I ripped the phone from his hand and threw it on the ground. "I'm not hysterical. I came here only to see my father and to tell him what I think of him. Now that I have, I'll leave." I tightened my grip on my handbag and moved to the door. "One day, you're all going to go to sleep and not wake up for a thousand years. And when you do, Father, I'll be everything you ever hated about me. I'll be Sailor Mars, the freak, with more power than you'll ever hope to have in a thousand lifetimes. You're going regret that you ever knew me."
"Say that again, young lady, for the record." I wheeled around. A policeman stood in the doorway, handcuffs dangling almost comicly from his forefinger.
"Oh, crap..."
******
I was arrested for the first time in my entire life for threatening my father. Apparently my father had a button under the table for security and had pushed it when I wasn't paying attention. He pressed charges, of course, for tresspassing and harrassment and I spent the night in jail. I had to call Serena to bail me out and told her to bring Andrew with her, figuring that he might be able to help Serena calm me down. They let me go home for an hour so I could shower and dress and we all went out to breakfast.
"Not a good way to win over public favor," Serena said with a slight giggle.
"Who said anything about winning over the public?" I asked, taking a bite of my omlete. "Besides, I didn't threaten him. All I said was one day he'd regret knowing me. Can I help it if the man too that totally out of context?"
Andrew grinned. "Uh, Raye?"
"Yes, Andrew."
"Generally when someone says something like that, it is a threat. You just threatened your own father."
I waved my hand. "The old man didn't give a dam about that so called threat. He just wanted me out because I was making him look bad in front of his buddies. Got a reputation to maintain, you know."
"Well, Serena, at least you know one of your non-supporters already."
Serena laughed. "Non-supporter? Just call it like it is, Andrew. He's a future political enemy."
"That may be so, you guys, but I know his weaknesses. Point them out and he'll crumble, easily. I'm shrewd, I know. I learned everything I know from good old dad. After all, I'm not a Hino for nothing!" I grinned.
~Continued on Chapter 10 Parental Guidance Pt 2~
AN: I love author's notes! Anyway, I made Raye's father really mean so that well, everyone's got to have emotional baggage and he's hers. I really like this chapter, it's one of my favorite pieces I've ever written - at all. Looks like this is going to be a 15 chapter story, too. Outlines are really good at keeping everything you want to accomplish at hand, by the way. I'm becoming more of a fan of them every day! ^_^ Anyway, hope this was enjoyable. Next chapter is everyone else going to resolve things with their parents, should be good and emotional. Thanks! Atheistmoon ^_~