Crazy but Sweet, Sweet but Crazy

61: invitations

"You can click on- this. Can you see it? The button over here? This is the play button."

"Ah, I've got it, I've got it," muttered Michael, squinting through his spectacles.

"Once you press that, you'll be able to view the live streaming of our wedding. You can increase the volume by pressing this. Oh, yeah, that's the button for increasing brightness of the screen."

Twelve years of jail time. Michael's sentence had been capped at twelve because of mitigating factors.

The short end of a video recording had shown him running up to the door, trying to wrench it open with his hands, albeit too late.

"Open the door now!" Michael shouted, seizing Richard by the collar. "What the hell have you done?"

The wisps of grey streaks in his hair had taken over the chief part of Michael's head.

Now almost perpetually resting on his nose were the metal-rimmed spectacles he used to put on only for reading.

Time-paved wrinkles were added to around the corner of his eyes, on the surface of his skin.

It was still something I could not grasp- that Michael had aged.

It was likely to be something no child could fully internalize of her parent.

The tip of my nose tingled, and the back of my eyes grew warm.

Michael in orange. This was a sight I hadn't managed to internalize for the past twelve years too.

"Time's up, Mr. Horan." Glancing at his watch, the middle-aged officer on duty stood, gathering his clipboard and pen.

Getting to his feet, Michael smiled slightly. "It's time for me to go."

"Dad. You know, you can be there with me, right? Even your lawyer said there's high chance you'll be granted a brief visit outside."

"I stood a little too long not doing anything outside that door, honey. And the funny thing was, I was thinking to myself that I was onto exposing a crime, doing the right thing.

"That even if something happened to those women, it wasn't my doing but- his."

My throat burned and pricked. "Dad."

"And even if those women didn't end up like that- in the first place, I made a bargain. Exchanged information about the politician's case, with covering up the exploitation of those innocent women."

At the end of the last word, a crack seeped into Michael's voice.

"No one has the right to weigh whose life is more important than another."

I got up, facing Michael. Had his height changed too?

It'd always felt like Michael- dad- was someone I always looked up to.

Now, somewhat he felt and looked smaller.

"Dad. When I told Elliot to make that phone call- I half hoped you wouldn't care. You wouldn't care that I knew. That you'd cover up everything till the end, and go on living like nothing happened."

"No father would be able to do that-" Michael paused, and cocking his head with a wince, added, "With a few...exceptions. Anyway, happy wedding. I'll see you through the livestream. I love you."

"And see you too, dad. I love you."

~ * ~

"No. I don't know in how many languages I'm supposed to say 'no' for you to understand what 'no' means."