For Better, For Worse (BWWM) | COMPLETE ✔

✔Thirty Six: "Where were you?"

Justin

I stood face to face with my dad, not knowing what to say to him first. Do I hug him because I missed him? Or do I go at him for disappearing on my mom when she needed him the most and for not showing up when I hoped he would?

"Son." He said.

He looked slightly older than I remembered with greying hairs on his head and face.

I still couldn't speak to him because I was in so much shock.

He stepped forward to try make contact with me but I stepped back, my anger and disappointment in him too great for me to even think of how much I missed him when I was 'away'.

"Where were you?" I asked him, my vision beginning to blur from the tears that were forming in my eyes.

"I know you're upset, Justin. I just... I needed time."

"Time for what? Didn't mom call you to tell you that I was back, months ago?"

"I obviously didn't believe her."

"So you waited months to come see for yourself? Scooter came as soon as he heard and he's not even related to me. What's wrong with you?" I raised my voice.

"Justin--"

"No, Olivia," I cut her off before turning my attention back to my dad, "Why did you abandon mom when you heard I was dead? She needed you, do you know that?"

"I didn't abandon her, Justin. I just needed time."

"You needed time," I scoffed, "like when I was a kid and you needed time to get used to the idea of being a dad, so you went away all those years?"

"It's not like that and you know it."

"I don't know a thing, dad, not about how you handle things. All I know is that when my mom needed you, both times when she needed you the most, you packed up and went off. What's there to understand?"

"Do you know how scary it is to hear that your son got killed in an accident, Justin? I had to come to terms with the fact that my first child was no more. You don't know how hard that was for me."

"You should've crossed that bridge with mom. Instead, you went away with your happy family and shut her out! Did you even call her to check on her and see how she was doing? Or, like the first time you left her to be by herself, did you just think she could handle it?" I crossed my arms.

My dad shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I really didn't come here to fight with you, Justin." He spoke calmly.

"I see this pattern." I walked further into the room and wiped my tears.

"What are you talking about now?"

"I'm talking about you, Jeremy!" I turned around to point my finger in his face. "You... you only want to be around me when I have something to offer!"

"What?" My dad laughed. "You're my son!"

"And that's only convenient to you when I'm in the limelight!"

"Oh my god!" My dad threw his hands up in the air.

"Can you not argue with each other, please?" Liv spoke again. "Everybody just take a deep breath--"

"I asked you to stay out of this, Olivia." I said, not looking at her.

"I'm here now, Justin. Whether it took me months to do so or not, I came and that's the bottom line." My dad said.