Unchanging [h.s. au]

two

I stepped out of my car and got a better look at the mansion in front of me.

My dad lives here alone? And to think I've been living in a tiny excuse for a house in Oregon my whole life.

"Clara!" My dad walked out of the front door towards me. "Ah, look at you! So grown up and beautiful. I've missed you so much," He reached out to give me a hug.

I awkwardly embraced him. "Yeah, good to see you too, Dad." I let go of him and looked around. "So, only you living in this massive house?"

He laughed, unphased by my question. "For the most part. My girlfriend, Jen, actually stays here sometimes and brings her kids."

Oh no, a girlfriend I didn't know about that I probably had to meet? This was getting more and more uncomfortable.

"She's not here at the moment," He explained. "I told her you were coming and she thought it would be best if we had some alone time."

I nodded but internally breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted to do was make small talk with my dad's new lady friend.

"Come on in, I'll show you around!" My dad enthusiastically grabbed my one suitcase from the car and rolled it toward the door.

I rolled my eyes. He was trying so hard to make this seem normal. I wasn't happy with how things went down between him and my mom, but I decided the least I could do was to be less negative about it. Then maybe this trip would be a little less painful.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed him inside.

The house was even more beautiful inside than it was outside. Expensive, polished wood lined the floor and large windows shed natural light throughout the house. The entryway was a spread of fine upholstery and exotic plants. He must have hired someone to decorate for him; I knew his decorative eye was not up to this standard.

"Home sweet home!" My dad gestured around. "The living room is that way, kitchen straight ahead. Your room is up this way if you want to see it,"

I forced a positive half-smile on my face. "Yeah, sure," I agreed.

We walked upstairs and passed several rooms on the way to mine. He could practically run a hotel with the size of this place.

"Here's your room," He opened the door to reveal a spacious room with a large bed covered in a purple duvet. There was a small desk, nightstand, and walk in closet already stocked with a few items.

"Wow, Dad, this looks great," I set my backpack down and sat on the bed. "Thank you."

He put my suitcase on the floor. "No problem! I wanted this trip to be perfect for you."

His statement caught me off guard. I wanted to say "So far, it's only been mediocre at best." but I figured that wouldn't be a positive thing to say to your dad who you haven't seen in three years. I looked down at my hands.

"Look," my dad started. "I know this is an odd situation and with everything that happened, things have been hard for you, but I hope our relationship can go back to the way it was."

I stiffened. "Dad, it never can go back to the way it was. You know that."

"I don't see why not."

My pulse increased as I replayed scenes in my mind of the worst day of my life. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. "Between what happened and the divorce right after, things have changed. I've changed. I'm not the same person anymore."

I've literally only been here for five minutes and he already brought up the one thing I didn't want to talk about.

My dad sighed. "I know. But I just want you to understand that you're not the only one who misses him. It's been hard for me, too."

My eyes began to sting with tears. I was not going to cry in front of him. I didn't want his sympathy. I immediately got up from the bed and started unpacking my things in hopes that the movement would prevent me from crying.

Luckily, my dad took this as a signal to change the subject. He cleared his throat. "So, Clara," My dad rubbed the back of his neck. "I sort of have this work meeting that was scheduled last minute that I can't miss. I have to go out of town for it, I'm so sorry. It will only be one business week and then I promise we can spend time together."

Him being gone for a week sounded just fine to me. Then I could have this whole place to myself without feeling the constant pressure of needing to hang out with him and mend our relationship. "It's no big deal, don't worry about it."

My dad hurriedly started talking. "And I signed you up for a summer camp to attend while I'm away."

You have got to be kidding me.