Same Experiences

Chapter Nineteen

George

As I came out of the airport, I found deja vu hit. Twelve years ago, I'd entered this airport and I'd ditched my dad. But now, I was coming back here, still free, but the fact remained.

The past came back to bite me in the ass.

I guess it makes sense too, in a way, because somewhere deep down I knew that I'll come back. It was a situation I was hoping wouldn't happen, but well. Fate had other plans, I guess.

I flagged down a taxi. The address I told the driver was almost foreign to me.

When I reached, I got out and stared at the house. It was almost like I was a stranger here. I  knocked at the door and it revealed a man who looked too much like my father.

"Welcome back," he said flatly. I hesitated before going inside. The last time I went out, I had been sure that I'd never come back. But as the years went by, I realized that running away is never a good option. I could stay away for a few years, but someday or the other, I'd have to come back.

And that had happened.

I entered to the smell of pancakes and I realized that I was hungry.

Halford Smith was bald and had my eyes. And my dad's eyes.

"I made breakfast. Just in case you're hungry," he said. I snapped out of my thoughts and sat down at the dining table as he set down three plates. I stared at the third plate wondering if there was someone else in the family I didn't know about. A woman almost looking the same age as Halford came out. His wife, probably. She had black hair tied up in a bun and brown eyes. She smiled at me kindly before sitting down to eat her breakfast.

We ate in silence for some time before the woman said, "So, George, what do you do for a living?"

Surprised by the sudden question, I paused my chewing to look at her. "Oh, um, I make wedding dresses."

Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, how wonderful! We needed a dress for my niece, Alessandra. Her wedding is in two weeks."

Halford looked at her with irritation etched in his features, "Come now, Maria. Do you think she's here to design dresses? She probably wants to go back as soon as possible."

Maria's mouth opened up in the shape of a circle and she went back to eating. There was an awkward tension in the air.

For some reason, I kind of wanted to stay back and get to know these people. My mind raced with all sorts of questions.

Who else is in the family? Are there any grandparents that I don't know about? Dad did talk about them before he started drinking.

"Actually, I might be here for a few days. I left some stuff here that I might want to take back, so I will think about it," I said. Maria smiled at me thankfully.

"Do you want to stay here or do you want to book a hotel?" Halford asked after we were done eating.

I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that the hotel would be the best. I don't think I'll ever be able to live in this house again.

*

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As soon as I checked into a hotel and went inside my room, I texted the friends' group to say I'd reached and then called Dave.

"Hi. How was your flight?" He asked. I smiled and shrugged, even though he wasn't here. "Well, the plane didn't crash and I'm alive, so."

He laughed, the sound sounding like music to my ears. I let myself fall onto the bed.