TATBILB [Parody] || Osterfield & Holland

: T⃣h⃣i⃣r⃣t⃣y⃣-t⃣w⃣o⃣:

[Song: Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears]

C⃣h⃣a⃣p⃣t⃣e⃣r⃣ T⃣h⃣i⃣r⃣t⃣y⃣-t⃣w⃣o⃣

I guess everything really hit me when I got home. Harrison didn't come over like he used to because he was still in America. Not that I think he would come over even if he was here.

I laid on my bed. Sometimes crying. Sometimes reading. Sometimes sleeping. I listened to songs about heartbreak since they were the only ones that I could relate to at the moment.

I went to work, not really talking that much. Putting on a fake smile.

I could pretend to everyone I was fine, but I couldn't pretend to be fine for Dad. He knew better. And I think he wanted to give me some space. That is, until he saw me cleaning. Unprovoked.

I had taken out another cardboard box, and tossed a lot of my romance books in there, especially the ones Harrison gave me. I found our contract buried under a pile of stuff. I stared at it for a full minute before ripping it up and throwing it, in its torn shreds, away.

Dad walked into my room. I take off my headphones to listen to what he was to say.

"Hey, let's go for a drive," he tells me.

I don't think that much about it. I just nod my head and put some shoes on. I don't even bother changing out of my home clothes.

We don't talk as we drive. I just look out the window mindlessly. We ended up at the diner I always go to. The one I used to go to with Harrison.

"Your mother and I used to come here all the time," Dad states, sitting straight on his chair. I leaned forward in mine. He messes with the small jukebox on the table.

"Really? I didn't know that," I say, happy to hear anything I can about what Mum was like. We seldom talked about her.

"She'd play this song, then as soon as it was over she'd play it again." 'Everybody Wants to Rule The World' by Tears for Fears started to play from the box. "Know what else she'd do? Get up and start dancing in the aisles, right by everyone eating. I was so embarrassed, but..."

I turn to look at the aisles trying to imagine it as Dad pulled out his wallet. He took out a tiny photo.

"you know, I was also in awe of her, too. I think back and I think,
'Man, I should've been dancing with her.' Look at this." He hands me the photo. It's of Mum right here, in this diner, dancing.

"Wow, this place has not changed at all," I say with a laugh.

"There's so much about her I should have told you, but I haven't
because talking about her makes me sad," Dad admits.

"It's okay," I tell him, sliding the picture across the table.

"It's not okay. I've relied on you too much over the years. I know I have. You're nineteen. You should be living your own life not constantly worried about mine."

I listen carefully to his words.

"That's why I was so happy when I saw you and Harrison—"

"I don't want to talk about Harrison," I cut him off with a frown.

"Harrison, who?" Dad jokes and I only slightly chuckle.

"Really?" I question. He smiles but then gets serious again.

"I don't know what happened with you two, but I know how you opened up when he was around.
Not with me, 'cause you've always been like that with me, but to the world. Seeing you come alive like that, you remind me of her," he gestures to the picture of Mum.

My eyes begin to water. "Dad, I really miss her." A few tears trickle down my cheeks.

"I know you do, sweetie. I do too." We sat there for a couple minutes, until the song stopped.

And a thought popped into my head.

"Can I, uh, borrow a coin?" I ask Dad. He nods his head and passes me one. I place it into the slot of the box. "So you said she'd always play the song twice?" I ask.

"At least, usually till they'd kick us outta here." I press the button to play the song again. We both sit there listening and thinking.