I should be writing an essay... Not exactly my style...

Last Christmas

You never really know what your dad is talking about until you're one yourself.

Nathan Stoll went downstairs to get the mail when he saw his little sister walk in arguing with a boy. Nathan recognized him as Thomas Banks, Olivia's boyfriend, and before he could react, Thomas hauled off and punched Olivia's jaw. She fell on the floor. Thomas made a step towards her, but Nathan stepped in his path.

"Not another step, Tommy!" he warned. Thomas smirked.

"Or what?" he growled. "You gonna tell on me?"

"No, I'm just asking you to leave," Nathan replied evenly confining his anger. "Now."

Thomas raised his arms in surrender, "Fine, I'll go, but tell your sister there she better look out because one day, I'll she'll be coming back to me, and I won't be there."

H exited with a middle finger salute.

Nathan huffed and then kneeled down next to his sister.

"What happened?" he asked propping her up. Her blue eyes were wet with tears, sn she tenderly held her jaw.

"Thomas ch-cheated on m-me," she sobbed. "And-and when I s-strated to break up with-with him he- he hit me!" he cries were even louder now. Nathan held her as she cried, "Why do people have to be like this?"

Nathan tensed. His father's advice from last Christmas. He had been about to go on his first date when eh father stopped him.

...

"Now be a gentleman, alright?"

"Geez, Dad, I'll be perfectly nice. Why are you so strung about this?"

"I didn't use to be one, and I'm concerned as a father."

"I don't understand," Nathan replied.

"Think if you had a daughter, and she was about to go off on a date with some reckless boy. How would you feel?"

"I 'm not sure."

"Just be kind," Travis said. "One day you'll understand."

...

And as Nathan stoof in the lobby consoling his sobbing sister, he finally understood his father's words.

"Don't worry, Olivia," he consoled. "He's sick in the mind. One day he'll look back and hate he did that."

"How can you be so s-sure?" she wept into him. Nathan hesitated. What was he supposed to say to that?

"I've seen it happen," he replied. "Let me buzz Mom and Dad."

Nathan went to the buzzer and rang them. In no time flat, they were in the lobby. Nathan told them the story, and his mom Katie went to talk to the weeping fifteen-year-old. Travis confined with her two year senior.

"Dad," Nathan said, "I understand know. I mean what you mean't by being a gentleman, but... I still don't understand how you knew that it was going to end up this bad."

Travis ran a hand through his curly locks. Nathan had inherited his father's hair...

"When I was about her age, I was dating this one girl, and I was completely in love with her. Then, I started to date another girl under the pressure of my friends. I thought I was happy, but turns out I wasn't."

"How?"

"Well, the first girl found out and was devastated. She hated me for it, and swore to never speak to me again. I kept on dating the second girlfriend, but I didn't feel complete. I broke up with her. To this day, I'm still in love with that first girl, and I hate myself for hurting her."

"Who was the girl, Dad?" Nathan asked.

"Your mother," he replied.

"How did you get her back?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad I did, and I promised to never make that mistake ever again."

Nathan was silent, sinking in all of the emotions he felt: disbelief, anger, relief.

Olivia and Katie both walked over to them.

"Why don't you take your sister upstairs," Katie told him. Nathan put his arms around Olivia's shoulders and led her up the elevators.

Katie waited until they were out of earshot until she spoke, "You're raising him good."

"Me?" Travis asked. "I thought this was a group effort."

"Travis, I haven't forgotten what you did to me. Even after all of these years, but I'm so happy our son isn't going to go down that horrible path." Her eyes were full of pain. "And the fact that you steered him in the right firection means a lot to me."

"Katie," Travis started taking her hands in his, "I would never hurt you on purpose, you know that, and I resent hurting you more than anything else I have ever done or said." She was silent. "I told him that, so there wouldn't be a fate in the fields of punishment for him unlike me."

Katie started to protest, but Travis stopped her, "I am just as cruel to you as that boy was to Olivia, Katie, and i will never forgive myself. I don't deserve someone like you."

"Travis, your past isn't as important as our future is, and if you don't believe me, then you can walk out that door and break my heart again," she paused, "or you can get a eality check and join me upstairs. Katie walked into an elevator. Travis stared into her eyes. Nathan inherited her eyes...

He smirked and walked into the elevator, "Floor six, please, Mrs. Stoll."

I'm dieting. Inly half Tratie stories now. Doesn't Travis being a father make your heart swell as muh as it makes mine...? Nope? Phooy!

Brooke