Mending Broken Hearts-2

Heart to Heart

This is a slightly emotional chapter. I hope you all enjoy.

"Oh, Gennie please come in." My dad moves out of the way letting me through his front door. "I...this is a wonderful surprise." He goes to bring me in for a hug but I pull away. He finally senses the seriousness in my reason for visiting. "Uh...so how long are you in L.A. for? I can get us reservations at..."

"No longer living it up in Europe are you?" I ask looking around his mansion.

"I still have property out there but I'm really loving the L.A. life." He explains to me and I just stare at him.

"I can see that."

"Would you like something to drink and eat?" My dad offers me.

"I'm good." I wave him off.

"Well, let me show you around." He leads me through his mansion. It is filled with awards he's received, his magazine covers, photos of his accomplishments throughout his life. I foolishly keep looking for something that indicates he had a family. But there is nothing. "I bought the house from this developer. The frame of the house is so unique we have the magazine's holiday party here every year. You and Mark should come sometime. It would be lovely to have you both here enjoying the..."

"I keep this small vault of wonderful memories of you. You were the best father." I interrupt him. "You were the father who would try and make me laugh when I was sick. You taught Henry how to drive a stick and...but now you're just the man who leaves destruction wherever her goes."

"Gennie..."

"Don't call me that." I snap at him. He holds his hands up trying to calm me down. "I...I called...no I begged you to come to my wedding. You didn't even have to walk me down the aisle. All you had to do was be there and you still couldn't get away from work."

"I had that big calendar spread that I cou..."

"You never can get away from work!" I yell at him. "You are my dad and you chose not to be that. You left our family for this." I motion to his big empty house.

"I know the physical time I can't be there for you and your siblings I made up with financially. I send you all checks every year that you all happily take." He reminds me like giving us money is the only thing that matters. Being there means nothing if you can supply people with money.

"We don't need your money."

"Then why take it?"

"Because I donate that shit money you give as your form of love to benefit struggling single mothers and fund scholarships for underprivileged children who want to go to any form of school but lack the financial abilities to do so."

"I don't know what you want from me Genevieve...I..."

"Do you know that Charlotte's first husband beat her within an inch of her life and she uses the money you give her to keep her lawyer on retainer so when his parole comes around she can keep him locked up? She donates the rest to domestic victim organizations for others to have the lawyers she has so they can feel safe."

"I had no..."

"Or that Colette and Ted are basically living separate lives. Frankie never comes to any family function cause he can't stand to be near family. Henry, he is...he is literally one of the biggest tools in the world. Maddie, oh sweet Maddie tries to bury herself in work so that she never has to think about the lack of close relationships she has in her life. All of your children that you don't care about."

"That is not true. I love all of you. You all mean so much to me. I..."

"Bullshit. If you loved or even cared for us an ounce of what you do for your dumbass magazine you would want to be in our lives."