smiling critters

chapter 31 - meeting

“Neil, could you stay down here for a second? We need to talk to you.”
It was after dinner on monday and neil was about to get ready for bed when donna asked him to stay downstairs, and needless to say, he was a little nervous as to what she and malachi wanted. He sat down at the table and started running his fingers through his hair, anxious as to what they were gonna tell him.

“So, malachi and i have been talking about this for the past few days and we decided you should know. I’ve managed to get in contact with your biological father and he was wondering if you’d be up to him visiting and meeting you," Donna told him, reaching a hand out. Neil was shocked. His dad had tracked him and his family down and wanted to see him?! It felt like a dream.

“Really?!” he beamed as his tail started wagging slowly.

“Yes, really. We wanted to keep it a surprise, but since we didn’t know how you’d react, we decided against it. Now just because he’s your blood, don’t think you have any obligation to meet him.”

“Can i?”

“Sure, sweetheart. I’ll let him know,” donna smiled and nodded before sending him off to bed. After he got ready for bed, he laid on his mattress under his covers, too excited to sleep. All he knew about his dad is that he was in some european country with his immediate family, of which he only knew of his sister, neil’s aunt. So his dad coming to visit was like a dream, one he wasn’t sure he wanted to wake up from. He hugged his dragon plushie and started purring, hopefully to help himself to sleep. He started kneading his pillow until he finally managed to get to sleep.

~two weeks later~

Anders got settled into his hotel in myrtle beach. he was here because of his sons, godfrey and neil. Neil was at least semi prepared for his visit, but Godfrey couldn't've prepared himself for it, and since he was currently in jail, he decided to visit him first. He went to north myrtle beach detention and filed all the proper paperwork before getting to see his son. Anders was led into the parloir and to a booth where his eldest son was angrily sitting and waiting. He sat down and picked up the phone, only to be met with instant hostility. (anders speaks with a dutch accent so read ‘fv’ as either ‘f’ or ‘v’ kuz the dutch accent gets tripped up with those)

“Where were you?” godfrey demanded, understandably angry at his father.

“You know where i wash, godfvrey. And you knew why i wash dere. Your aunt-”

“I know! But did you even care to come back when mom got sick?”

“Snusken, i never knew your moder was sick. If you tried to tell me, I would've made an effort to get back to you.”

“Well it’s too late, she’s dead because of neil. Maybe if you stayed with us you could’ve said goodbye.”
Anders was a little taken aback by how blunt he was being. Maybe it was to try and hurt him, he tended to use more blunt language when he was trying to hurt someone. But grace was dead? It was a little sudden. Why did no one contact him about it? He was just left in the dark about his wife’s death? He sighed an array of feelings.

“Godfvrey, you’re carrying too much. You neet to let some of it go,” he pressed the tip of his paw against the glass as Godfrey did the same. Anders wanted nothing more than to wrap Godfrey in his arms and shower him with the love he so desperately needed, but he couldn’t, and that hurt him; knowing his son, his flesh and blood, was so clearly suffering more than he had when he was a post-kitten and anders was basically powerless to help him. Maybe he was looking at this through too much of a parent lens.

“Godfvrey, snusken, you hafve to promishe me dat once you get out, you get help, i know you were resistant to it in de past, but now dat dings have escalated to dis point, do you see dat maybe you need someone to help you work drough everyding in dat pretty little head ofv yoursh?” he smiled and pressed his paw pads against the glass as godfrey hesitantly did the same and nodded.

“What about neil? You’re not mad that he took mom away?”

“You said she got sick, not dat your broder killed her. What happened, snusken?”

“Mom got sick after he was born. She died a few years later.”

“Den dat doesn’t sound like his fvaut.”

“It is.”

“Godfvrey, i will not argue wid you about dis. Pleashe understand dat a kitten can’t do someding like dat.”

“He did, that’s just fact.”
After a bit more back and forth, their visiting time had ended and anders had to go back to his hotel. Allowing him to process everything before he had to go to lunch to meet Neil. he took off all his bracelets and lied in bed, going through his conversation with Godfrey in his head. why did no one tell him that grace died? why did grace herself never tell him she was sick? she was always so outgoing, so it was rare that she over-worried about bothering someone like he usually did. maybe this was one of those rarities? without grace or Godfrey, he was left in the dark as to what happened while he was in Belgium. he rubbed his eyes and sat up before taking out the photo of grace he took with him before leaving back in 2009. it was a photo he took of her and Godfrey sitting at a picnic blanket under a tree with ‘7/8/04’ written at the bottom in sharpie. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

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“could you pass me a sandwich, bumblebee?” grace smiled at him. it was a gorgeous summer day and the Chandler's had decided to go out to the park for a picnic. He nodded and handed her one of the sandwiches they’d packed earlier before he turned to where Godfrey was playing with some kids he met.
“Godfvrey! come over and eat, snusken!” He hollered to the 9 year old kitten.
“ok!” he called back before waving goodbye to the kids he was playing with as he gleefully trotted over to his parents.
“here you go, my little solar eclipse kitten,” Grace cooed, handing her son the sandwich and scratching his chin as he purred and took it.
“thanks mom!” he smiled before starting to eat.
“do you want anyding, sweetheart?” Anders asked his wife. she nodded.
“just another sandwich would be fine, Andy.”
they ate and talked happily before spending a bit more time at the park until the wind started to pick up, making them go home.
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Anders put the photo back in his duffel bag and wiped his eyes. He’d be lying if he said he didn't miss those mundane moments with grace and godfrey and regretted not being able come back to check on them, so maybe, just maybe, he could have those moments with his younger son, too. he sighed and put his bracelets back on before checking the time, he had to get to that cafe to meet Neil soon, and since he didn't have a car, didn't want to rent one or use Uber, he’d have to leave early to get there on time. he got his shoes on and grabbed his phone before leaving his hotel to start his walk to the cafe.

1293 words