He made his way out of the store and walked back to Madison's car. He got in the passenger side.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"How'd what go?" he said indifferently.
"I thought you were saying goodbye to Amy...or did I totally read that wrong?" she tried to look at his expression, but he didn't really have one, he was just blank.
"Oh yeah...it went fine" He lied.
"That's good...so do you need help at the house, or can I head over to my parents for a little while?" she changed the subject, realizing that Ephram didn't want to talk about it.
"No-no I don't need help...it's not much" He told her, still looking away.
"Ok...well I guess I'll just drop you off...how long do you think you need?" she asked.
Ephram looked at his watch, "Maybe an hour...maybe less"
"Alright..." she started the car and pulled out of the parking spot.
She dropped Ephram off and went over to her parent's house. Ephram used his key to get in the house. He stepped in and looked around, it looked the same. After all, he'd only been gone a day, it just seemed a lot longer. He closed the front door and walked up to his room. He grabbed another duffle bag out of his closet and threw the rest of his clothes in there. He went to pick up the picture of his mom on his nightstand, when he noticed an envelope on his pillow with his name on it. He looked at it, confused. He walked over and picked it up, it was his father's handwriting. Ephram was about to throw it away, but again, his curiosity got the best of him...besides, it felt like it had money in it.
He tore the envelope open and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and started to read.
Dear Ephram,
I knew you would be back to pick up the rest of your things, I just hope you don't throw this away before you read it.
I know that I'm not your favorite person in the world right now, and frankly, I don't blame you for being angry. I admit that I made a mistake, I should have told you, I understand that now. I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but I did truly think that my decision was the right one, for you, for your childhood. That time just goes by so fast, I didn't want yours to be over, especially since you were just starting to get it back. But now I see that I was wrong, I should have told you. I put Madison in an impossible position and hurt you in the process. You were right, I didn't think of her and I should have, and I have to live with that now.
I don't expect to hear from you for a while, but I do hope that you keep in touch with your sister. I still haven't told her that you're leaving, I know it is going to be really hard for her, you know how much she loves you. I want you to know that I understand why you have to do this, and I support it, I'm glad you're taking responsibility for this, I believe you are ready and you will do a great job.
When you do decide to talk to me, I hope that we can get over this and move forward. I would love to meet my granddaughter sometime in the future. I know that it is going to take time, but I'm willing to wait. Just please be careful Ephram, the real world is a tough place to live.
I love you,
Dad
P.S. I left you some money, and I will be adding more to the checks that I send Madison, so it will support all 3 of you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call.
Ephram held the letter in his hand for a while, trying to figure out what it all meant. He knew that he still didn't forgive his father, but this was some sort of start. He re-folded up the letter and stuck it in the envelope, then pulled out the money and counted it. $600. He folded the money up and put it in his back pocket, along with the envelope, then continued packing.
A couple minutes later his cell phone rang, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the I.D. "Abbot House" He figured it was Amy. He thought about ignoring it, but knew that wouldn't be fair.
Ephram flipped open the phone, "Hello?"
"Dude! What the hell is wrong with you?!?" Bright yelled into the phone.
Ephram sighed, "Bright...listen, ok I didn't want it to happen that way...I-It just did ok?"
"So you find out you have a kid and you just leave everyone?!? What the hell is that about?! Amy just ran in the house crying her eyes out! Did you even think about her?!?" Bright was furious.
"If I had any other choice you know I would make it...I can't leave Julia..." Ephram tried to reason with him.
"Julia...who the hell is Julia?! Is she another girl? Are you cheating on Amy?!?" He was turning red with anger.
"No! God, Julia-Julia's my daughter! Who the hell do you think I am?!? An-and things between Amy and me-you know they weren't great! I just couldn't deal with that! I have to go to Boulder...I knew that it wouldn't last anyways...I'm sorry I hurt her, I really am, but I didn't have a choice..." Ephram was trying to stay calm.
"Whatever dude...it's your life...I just think you're making a huge mistake" Bright said.
"You wouldn't understand Bright! You don't have a kid! You don't know half of what I've been through in the past 24 hours! So don't try and make me feel guilty cause it's not gonna work!" and with that Ephram hung up the phone, he really didn't need this right now, not on top of everything else.
He started packing again, all the while, beating himself up over the way he left things with Bright and Amy. This wasn't how he wanted it to happen, this wasn't how he planned it. Maybe they were right, he shouldn't just drop everything for Julia, after-all he did just find out about her. No, they were wrong, they just didn't understand, they have absolutely no idea what it's like to have a child. To love someone so much, more than life itself...if they did, than they wouldn't have acted that way. But he still couldn't just leave things like that, he couldn't leave on that note, that's not how he wanted to remember them, or vise-versa. He quickly threw the rest of his things in his bag and ran downstairs. He threw the bag down on the couch and ran out the door. He started walking towards the Abbots.
Bright knocked on Amy's door and opened it without waiting for a response. She was sitting on her bed, crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears.
Amy lifted her head up, "What do you want?"
Bright sat down on the bed next to her, "I'm sorry Amy...the guy's stupid...he doesn't know what he let go..."
"Thanks Bright...but I don't need your pity" Amy put her head back in her hands and continued to cry.
Bright sighed and walked out of the room.
Amy watched as he walked away and silently thanked him for trying.
Bright skipped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, just in time to be turned around by a knock on the door. He walked back to the door and opened it to find Ephram. He quickly tried to close it but Ephram stopped him.
"Bright please...I'm sorry...the things I said-I shouldn't have-I-I didn't mean it...it's just everything is happening so fast...I'm kinda overwhelmed. I didn't want to leave it like that..." Ephram pleaded.
Bright sighed and stepped aside to let him in, still silent.
"You're right...I was just gonna leave everyone..." Ephram looked down, "but you just have to understand...I mean I have a daughter, it's like a 24 hour job...and she's in Boulder...you have to know that if I could...stay...an-and work everything out...I-I-I would!"
Bright just nodded in response, he knew Ephram meant what he said, but he was still pissed.
"And this whole thing with Amy...I mean it wasn't perfect...and you know that...there was no way I could deal with all of our problems plus long-distance...and it's not like I would have much time to come down and visit or anything...I just couldn't do it anymore...but I hate the way that it ended, I want to make it right..."
Bright looked up the stairs towards Amy's room, then back at Ephram, and nodded.
Ephram held out his hand and Bright shook it. He could only imagine what Ephram was going through and figured he could use a friend.
Ephram went up the stairs and knocked on Amy's door.
Amy didn't look up, "Bright...please...I know you're trying to help, but I just want to be alone right now!"
Ephram slowly opened the door, revealing himself.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"How'd what go?" he said indifferently.
"I thought you were saying goodbye to Amy...or did I totally read that wrong?" she tried to look at his expression, but he didn't really have one, he was just blank.
"Oh yeah...it went fine" He lied.
"That's good...so do you need help at the house, or can I head over to my parents for a little while?" she changed the subject, realizing that Ephram didn't want to talk about it.
"No-no I don't need help...it's not much" He told her, still looking away.
"Ok...well I guess I'll just drop you off...how long do you think you need?" she asked.
Ephram looked at his watch, "Maybe an hour...maybe less"
"Alright..." she started the car and pulled out of the parking spot.
She dropped Ephram off and went over to her parent's house. Ephram used his key to get in the house. He stepped in and looked around, it looked the same. After all, he'd only been gone a day, it just seemed a lot longer. He closed the front door and walked up to his room. He grabbed another duffle bag out of his closet and threw the rest of his clothes in there. He went to pick up the picture of his mom on his nightstand, when he noticed an envelope on his pillow with his name on it. He looked at it, confused. He walked over and picked it up, it was his father's handwriting. Ephram was about to throw it away, but again, his curiosity got the best of him...besides, it felt like it had money in it.
He tore the envelope open and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and started to read.
Dear Ephram,
I knew you would be back to pick up the rest of your things, I just hope you don't throw this away before you read it.
I know that I'm not your favorite person in the world right now, and frankly, I don't blame you for being angry. I admit that I made a mistake, I should have told you, I understand that now. I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but I did truly think that my decision was the right one, for you, for your childhood. That time just goes by so fast, I didn't want yours to be over, especially since you were just starting to get it back. But now I see that I was wrong, I should have told you. I put Madison in an impossible position and hurt you in the process. You were right, I didn't think of her and I should have, and I have to live with that now.
I don't expect to hear from you for a while, but I do hope that you keep in touch with your sister. I still haven't told her that you're leaving, I know it is going to be really hard for her, you know how much she loves you. I want you to know that I understand why you have to do this, and I support it, I'm glad you're taking responsibility for this, I believe you are ready and you will do a great job.
When you do decide to talk to me, I hope that we can get over this and move forward. I would love to meet my granddaughter sometime in the future. I know that it is going to take time, but I'm willing to wait. Just please be careful Ephram, the real world is a tough place to live.
I love you,
Dad
P.S. I left you some money, and I will be adding more to the checks that I send Madison, so it will support all 3 of you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call.
Ephram held the letter in his hand for a while, trying to figure out what it all meant. He knew that he still didn't forgive his father, but this was some sort of start. He re-folded up the letter and stuck it in the envelope, then pulled out the money and counted it. $600. He folded the money up and put it in his back pocket, along with the envelope, then continued packing.
A couple minutes later his cell phone rang, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the I.D. "Abbot House" He figured it was Amy. He thought about ignoring it, but knew that wouldn't be fair.
Ephram flipped open the phone, "Hello?"
"Dude! What the hell is wrong with you?!?" Bright yelled into the phone.
Ephram sighed, "Bright...listen, ok I didn't want it to happen that way...I-It just did ok?"
"So you find out you have a kid and you just leave everyone?!? What the hell is that about?! Amy just ran in the house crying her eyes out! Did you even think about her?!?" Bright was furious.
"If I had any other choice you know I would make it...I can't leave Julia..." Ephram tried to reason with him.
"Julia...who the hell is Julia?! Is she another girl? Are you cheating on Amy?!?" He was turning red with anger.
"No! God, Julia-Julia's my daughter! Who the hell do you think I am?!? An-and things between Amy and me-you know they weren't great! I just couldn't deal with that! I have to go to Boulder...I knew that it wouldn't last anyways...I'm sorry I hurt her, I really am, but I didn't have a choice..." Ephram was trying to stay calm.
"Whatever dude...it's your life...I just think you're making a huge mistake" Bright said.
"You wouldn't understand Bright! You don't have a kid! You don't know half of what I've been through in the past 24 hours! So don't try and make me feel guilty cause it's not gonna work!" and with that Ephram hung up the phone, he really didn't need this right now, not on top of everything else.
He started packing again, all the while, beating himself up over the way he left things with Bright and Amy. This wasn't how he wanted it to happen, this wasn't how he planned it. Maybe they were right, he shouldn't just drop everything for Julia, after-all he did just find out about her. No, they were wrong, they just didn't understand, they have absolutely no idea what it's like to have a child. To love someone so much, more than life itself...if they did, than they wouldn't have acted that way. But he still couldn't just leave things like that, he couldn't leave on that note, that's not how he wanted to remember them, or vise-versa. He quickly threw the rest of his things in his bag and ran downstairs. He threw the bag down on the couch and ran out the door. He started walking towards the Abbots.
Bright knocked on Amy's door and opened it without waiting for a response. She was sitting on her bed, crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears.
Amy lifted her head up, "What do you want?"
Bright sat down on the bed next to her, "I'm sorry Amy...the guy's stupid...he doesn't know what he let go..."
"Thanks Bright...but I don't need your pity" Amy put her head back in her hands and continued to cry.
Bright sighed and walked out of the room.
Amy watched as he walked away and silently thanked him for trying.
Bright skipped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, just in time to be turned around by a knock on the door. He walked back to the door and opened it to find Ephram. He quickly tried to close it but Ephram stopped him.
"Bright please...I'm sorry...the things I said-I shouldn't have-I-I didn't mean it...it's just everything is happening so fast...I'm kinda overwhelmed. I didn't want to leave it like that..." Ephram pleaded.
Bright sighed and stepped aside to let him in, still silent.
"You're right...I was just gonna leave everyone..." Ephram looked down, "but you just have to understand...I mean I have a daughter, it's like a 24 hour job...and she's in Boulder...you have to know that if I could...stay...an-and work everything out...I-I-I would!"
Bright just nodded in response, he knew Ephram meant what he said, but he was still pissed.
"And this whole thing with Amy...I mean it wasn't perfect...and you know that...there was no way I could deal with all of our problems plus long-distance...and it's not like I would have much time to come down and visit or anything...I just couldn't do it anymore...but I hate the way that it ended, I want to make it right..."
Bright looked up the stairs towards Amy's room, then back at Ephram, and nodded.
Ephram held out his hand and Bright shook it. He could only imagine what Ephram was going through and figured he could use a friend.
Ephram went up the stairs and knocked on Amy's door.
Amy didn't look up, "Bright...please...I know you're trying to help, but I just want to be alone right now!"
Ephram slowly opened the door, revealing himself.