The reconciliation with his mother was good, but Tyler couldn't help being worried about his father. Now, he knew he had a good reason for being so stressed and uptight, but would he still be like that now, when Tyler got home?
They parked in the garage and went inside. To the surprise of neither mother nor son, Tyler's father was sitting at the kitchen table. He stood up when he saw them. "Tyler, can we talk?"
The boy nodded his head carefully, and Mrs. Joseph went upstairs, quickly making herself scarce to give them privacy.
"I know about the baby," Tyler said as his father sat back down.
Mr. Joseph just nodded his head, looking solemn. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."
There was a silence between the two. Tyler didn't know what his father was thinking, but he knew what was on his own mind. Was his father still angry? Was he grounded? What if he was never allowed to see Josh again?
"Tyler, I--" his father put his head in his hands for a moment, sighing. "I'm sure your mother's told you how much stress I've been under lately, and you know I'm not good with emotions."
"Yes," Tyler said, to both statements.
The man said nothing more, and Tyler was about to speak up and ask if he was in trouble, when his father did something Tyler had never seen him do before.
He started crying.
Startled, Tyler didn't really know what to do. Eventually, his instinct won out, and he gave his father a hug. The man sniffled for a moment, grabbing a tissue from the table and wiping his tears away. He spoke in a cracking voice. "Tyler, I'm sorry."
The boy only stared, unsure what to say.
Mr. Joseph cleared his throat and wiped away a stray tear. "Your mother and I talked, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that, but I didn't realize it until you came up and spoke to me like that. You stood up to me, and I realized that you're not a boy anymore. You're a man, and you can make your own decisions." A brief pause. "Even if it's not something I approve of or understand."
"You can have Josh over anytime you want," the man continued, "and neither I nor your mother will be getting in your way anymore. Okay?" he added, looking at his son warily.
Tyler didn't say anything: he just hugged his father again. Surprised, the other man hugged back.
And at last, Tyler knew everything was going to be okay.
YOU ARE READING
Colors // Joshler
FanfictionThere were a few colors that Tyler got the occasional feel of--yellow, blue, orange, and lavender. Any other color was rare. In fact, most days, Tyler felt somewhat gray. He wondered if that would ever change. ______________ Joshler High School AU a...
