Take You Back

CHAPTER 35 PART 3

~If you can't get someone
out of your head,
maybe they are supposed to be there.
-Unknown Author

"So do you know when your mother is coming back?" Venice shook her head, taking a bite of her waffle. Vince looked at the food and at me. I chuckled, remembering the first night when Laura and I ate together for the first time. "Venice if you fall dead, then" he sighs, playing with his food. I smirked, taking a bite of my waffle, eyeing him. I could see him holding his stomach squirming. "Son, if you don't take that fork up, I'll tie you to a chair and forcefully feed you myself," he took up the fork with shaking hands and ate it.

"It's like your mother hasn't fed you much information about me," I said, gazing at him. He gave me a death glare and cleared his throat. "Our mother shouldn't be the one to tell us anything about you. You should've been there instead of pushing her out when she was pregnant with us." He slammed his fists down onto the table so hard the dishes jumped. He gained my attention with his outburst, his nostrils flaring as he stood at the table, fists clenched at his sides.

I felt a rising in my chest as I headed towards him. I would not do any sort of harm to him, but he needs to know that I'm not just anybody.

"What sort of satisfaction does it give you to speak to me like that?" His eyes were locked with mine, and I saw the younger version of myself.

"It doesn't, but I think you all but know you owe mother an apology for treating her the way you did. It was all your loss when you thought she died." He mocked me by folding his arms over his chest, trying to intimidate me.

"In two days, it'll be Venice and my eighth birthday, and eight years since you missed out on Mom's life, and you wouldn't imagine how much time I watched her cry over someone like you. You don't deserve her, but I wouldn't say the same for you. I had to look at you twice to actually begin to utter the word 'father' out of my mouth. You got married when you were already wedded," he spat, his eyes growing a darker shade of blue. It's true that I got married over something I wish I hadn't done.

I pinched his cheeks and glared at him, "Boy, if I didn't meet your mother, she'd probably be dead, so shut your mouth or I'll hold you locked away where your mother nor anyone else will be able to free you from the torture that I'll be doing to you." I saw fear washed over his eyes, but he quickly masked it, his eyes averting to the side of me. The tears started to well up in his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he was hugging my waist sobbing and I was astounded why he was crying. It couldn't be what I said.

I pulled him away and knelt down. He was fighting with himself by the look on his face, but the tears kept falling uncontrollably down his face. "What's wrong?" he wiped his tears and took deep breaths, controlling his heartbeat. "I'm sorry that I acted but- but mom- mom," he stutters. "Mom is not well. I'm not stupid enough to not know my own mother is not well. I visualized how she looked at you," he gulped, shaking his head. I squeezed his shoulders reassuringly to go on. "Dad, I've seen that face. She never looks at any man the way she does with you. I saw it when I watched her look at the photograph," he walked to the living room while he left. Venice kept looking at me and my mind wasn't at ease. Could it be that sh- my mind came to a stop when Vince walked back with his backpack in hand.

He unzips the bag and hands me a photo of Laura and me. It was our first night together going out as a married couple. She had on a long silk black dress with a slit that showed her long brown legs and the chain that I had given her a long time ago. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her arms were outstretched for me to take, but I remember that I was too caught up in one of my fantasies to have noticed. She looked wonderful that night. I gazed into her eyes and there was something that I never once saw in them. Adoration. She felt all that towards something that I have never gotten from a significant other.