𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 | 𝐁𝗼𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲/𝗥𝗙𝗞

XVII: "Gift of Knowledge"

The two lovers walked in the dark, their hands clasped tightly together, not letting go. The girl slowly suffered as the silence between them grew louder. She watched the man; he had his eyes looking forward into the distance. It was a cruel silence, yet she couldn't think of any word to say. There was no clue about what was inside Bobby's head.

"D'accord. Ma maison est ici." Evelyn said as they approached her house. It became the first word uttered since they exited the Kennedys' home. "Oh, yeah. Go on in, then." Bobby shook himself out of the hypnosis he was in. He lost his power for voluntary action the entire time on the walk.

"You're not gonna kiss me good night?" The girl responded although she was entirely joking. "Yeah, come here." There was emptiness behind Bobby's eyes that put Evelyn in a tight spot, and she never liked it when she had to pry. "Are you okay?" She took his hand into hers, holding it warmly. "Ethel," Bobby answered back, his vision out of focus. He was preoccupied with something else other than Evelyn.

"What about her?" While asking, Evelyn puts her hand against Bobby's cold cheek. There was guilt on his face like he had just killed a man; it was hidden but not adequately concealed. "It's like she won't let it go," Bobby said. He paused before adding, "I should go back." He laid his hand on Evelyn's one that was on his cheek.

The damsel lowered her gaze to the ground; she began to feel the weight on her shoulders, too. "Well... will I see you tomorrow?" Evelyn replied. "Maybe. I'm not sure. We'll see," Bobby simply said. "Good night, then." The girl's voice trembled lowly. She slowly turned on her heels, walking to the porch.

"Hey," Bobby called out, "I love you."  He added, thankfully. Evelyn smiled for a second before nodding, "Je t'aime aussie."

Evelyn locked her sight on Bobby like a fighter jet does to a foe — but he was not one, though his silence alone could sometimes evoke distress in the girl. He had blown hot and cold to their relationship — or affair.

The brunette patted her borrowed skirt before squatting down and sitting on the steps of the porch. She sat and watched the man leave with his head low. Evelyn's jade eyes watered when she noticed Bobby was no longer in her sight; something so simple can be so saddening when it involves your loved ones.

Both hands stuck against her face, fingers laid on top of each other. Evelyn let it all out. She had no accurate understanding of why she was weeping, but her heart ached, and it kept telling her that it would all go wrong.

"Go away, Papa." Amidst her crying, Evelyn shooed the man behind her. The girl knew he'd been watching them from the window and standing just out the door a few moments ago.

The floorboards creaked when Maurice approached his gloomy and hurting daughter. The wiser man stretched his leg out as he sat, only exhaling and gazing at the sky while the girl continued to torture herself furthermore.

"Do you know why the stars always shine so brightly at night?" Maurice whispered in his quiet voice. Evelyn shifted, leaning against the peeled white pillar next to her. "To guide lost souls." He cracked a smile. "I like to think that each star is a person's guardian. Notice how they only appear on the darkest night? The worst time— such as this." Maurice was gifted with a mind so sensibly emotional and overly utopian. His mind became a wonder for some of his businessman friends. How could he possibly be one of them?

Maurice was birthed to a carpenter and a baker in the summer of nineteen zero three, making him a Cancer in the horoscope. He lived through the world wars and the great depression. The more you know about his past, the more self-explanatory it becomes.

"Enough! I just want to be left alone." Evelyn thundered, looking at Maurice with a disbelief look. "Sorry, mon chérie." The man rhymed. "I lied." His word trailed behind. "Quoi?" The scoffing started by Evelyn. "I never understood what it's like to be in your shoes. I didn't have a similar experience when I was your age." Maurice explained. His amber-green eyes met Evelyn's brighter ones.

"You lied about the great debutante?" Referring to her father's former and first lover, Evelyn disdainfully enquired. "No, Emile was real. Everything was true except for our love." Maurice shook his head. "Unlike you and Bobby, it was easy for us to say adieu." He began biting on the inside of his cheeks.

"I am never saying adieu to him," Evelyn insisted; her obduracy received a loud sigh from her father. "You'll have to. He's leaving for Virginia in two months for nearly two years." For the first time, Maurice was blunt and unapologetic for being straight. Evelyn slowly turned her head to the man, mouth parted and eyes as big as the moon. "That's not true." Her face was drenched in tears. "Joe told me he planned to do so." Maurice fell silent after. He palmed Evelyn's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Does Bobby know?" Evelyn shut her eyes, trying to gather herself together. "Yes. But Evie, when the time comes, and he'll tell you all about it, be understanding. It won't be easy for him either." The father explained with sensibility.

Evelyn only hugged her knees and cried some more. "Ethel's here, you know?" She mumbled. "I see," Maurice replied. "She's going to graduate next year. Then, she'll spend her free time here, and I don't want to know what'll happen." Evelyn ran her fingers through her silky hair, pushing it away from her face.

"What about you?" Maurice asked, "What are you going to do now that you're graduating high school?" He merely consulted because it's been circulating in his mind for a while now. He wondered two things: one: would Evelyn marry a wealthy affluent man and be a housewife? Or two: go to college and become a woman with a career?

"I'm not gonna be like Mama." Evelyn's remark provoked anger in Maurice. He got off his rear and stood tall on the step. "Your mother was a teacher— an educator! She quits her job to care for your sick and dying sister!" The shrieking and the raised voice of Maurice did not bother Evelyn one bit; she was numbed, engulfed in flames that Bobby kindled.

"And she never went back to teaching because if she does... you'll never love her again." Inscrutable and immersed in her pain, Evelyn hissed. "De quoi tu parles?" Maurice's voice was breathy and brittle as he questioned, his eyebrows tapered the whole time. "You never liked it when a woman— your woman is better than you." Evelyn looked up at her troubled father. "You couldn't stand it when maman was paying rent, buying groceries, cooking food, taking care of the kids— when there was nothing you could pride yourself in." She muttered with such hatred; it was like she had been hiding the feeling the whole time.

If Evelyn were standing at that moment, Maurice's hand would've been against her cheek, and he would recite a speech on how he is her father, and she shouldn't talk to him that way.

But he fell silent.

Could it be that there was some truth in Evelyn's words? Or that he was tired of arguing after a long, long time not doing so? — It was the former and a little bit of the latter. "I know I caused pain to your mother and you. I was an alcoholic— a pathetic drunk who got fired for a preposterous reason." Maurice choked on his words, looking up to the sky to keep his tears inside. "And it's my biggest regret. Turning to alcohol instead of... mending." Genuine remorse was painted on the man's face. "But I changed. And I'll support you no matter what you choose."

Only then did Evelyn stand to face her father without getting all teary-eyed. "I'm going to Harvard." She commanded. "And after I have an education, I'll leave for California and be a star— like I always wanted." Her mouth kept spewing words she's been holding in, but it was the right time to do so.

"Merde. I thought you'd forget about that dream." Maurice palmed his face, and another hand tucked under his elbow. "I'll make you proud of me someday, Papa," Evelyn said before pardoning herself into their house.

Maurice knew there was no way he could stop Evelyn; she had always been a stubborn girl, leading her own life. However, he believed for a hot second that college was going to change her — with Bobby being gone and whatnot.

He'd guessed right.

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PS: Hi! Just wanted to thank y'all for reading and voting — sorry for the late update. I'll do better. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the flashback part is almost done, so we'll go to the present time (1953) soon enough. Stay tuned! ❤️