"That's Business, Kid"

5

Summary:

Some more father-son bonding, a mother's distress, and a new player has entered the chat.

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Forgiving my father was easy.

Forgiving my mother, on the other hand...

Well, it was going to take some time. It just seemed like she didn't want anything to do with me! And despite recently learning that she had been the one providing my grandpapi money to help support me and pay for my education a few years ago, I was still upset with her for practically abandoning me and my father when she had decided to take up The Board on their offer.

All I'm really asking for is an apology – and I'm not talking about one of those grand apology gestures, either.

No, what I want from her is something simple and sincere.

And I also want it to come straight out of her own mouth.

They're just two solid American words that could change so much by a one single utterance.

'I'm sorry.'

But alas, it seemed my mother wasn't ready to confront me yet. Which was fine. I've already gotten used to not being her top priority, no matter how much my father would say otherwise.

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-Flashback-

"You know why I asked you to meet me here?" Bobby asked his son as they went one-on-one on a game of air hockey.

"Because people rarely go to this place?" Luxy replied unsurely, his eyes still glued to the game.

After their long-overdue reunion, the father and son have begun secretly meeting at the arcade to bond and catch up on each other's lives. Twenty five years was a very long time, after all.

"That's one reason, yes, but there's also something else that makes this place so special."

Luxy, out of pure curiosity, lifted his head up to look at his father. Only to then realize his mistake as he fails to block the puck from going into his side – thereby making his father win the game for the first time.

"Haha, yes!"

The salesman rolled his eyes fondly. "Yeah, alright. You get that point. That's 17 for me, and 1 for you."

Bobby fist pumped the air proudly to celebrate his small victory, then realized Luxy was still waiting for an explanation.

"Care to elaborate, pops?" Luxy said as he went over to his dad's side and leaned against the machine with crossed arms. Bobby's gaze focused on a particular area of the arcade, and a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes.

"This is where your mother and I reunited after we were separated by your grandmother."

Luxy's lips curved into a confused frown. "What do you mean you were separated?"

"Well, we were ten at the time it happened. I had to accompany her home, you see, 'cause she had just ripped her heart out for me as a declaration of her love–"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up... She did what?!" The salesman gaped at his father in disbelief. Bobby chuckled at his reaction.

"I know, it surprised me, too! I just wanted to make sure she would be alright. But then Tammy, Bryce's mom, got mad at her. I stood up for your mother, obviously, but that later resulted for me to get thrown into an orphanage. And what made it worse was that I wasn't sure if Bryce got treated after." Bobby glanced up to the ceiling as his eyes went slightly glassy. "So for ten years, I was left to believe that your mother had died that day... and it would've been all my fault."