Consequences of a Friend (2)

-Chapter 13- Ducks and Benches

Mason watches as his sisters run down to the pond, a bag with seed and loaf-ends bouncing around as they giggle and laugh. Seeing them made him wince with regret. He'd been so caught up hating his family and the world around him, that he'd forgotten his little sisters. How could he have forgotten them?

He shuffles on the bench seat, hyperaware of his father sitting only a few inches away. He hadn't spoken to him since, well, Mason couldn't remember when. His dad was a quiet soul, someone who didn't like to bother with arguments or confrontational situations. Mason had grown up not having his dad's input in anything, but he'd always wished his father had stood up for him.

"It's good to see you, Mace. How've you been?" A simple question, yet one that Mason wasn't quite sure how to answer.

He was angry, confused, hurt. These past months had been spent getting over a pregnancy that was never viable and moving away to a town his family would never really venture to. Was he supposed to say how he'd spent many nights crying? Or that his days were spent warding off panic attacks and taking medication after medication to try and settle his body?

He sighs, "I don't think I can give you an answer you'd be happy with, Dad."

Robert Fain turns to look at Mason with a concerned frown, his eyes a reflection of Mason's, "Has something happened?"

Mason scoffs, turning away from his father's face to look back at his sisters feeding the ducks, "Has something happened? Geez Dad, I don't know. What do you think may have happened over these past few months?"

There's a tense pause. One where Mason can't help but fidget as he fumes silently. He didn't want to take his anger out on his dad with his sisters' so close, but he sure as hell felt like it.

His dad sighs, placing his newspaper on the seat between them, "I believe you've forgotten that we haven't been in contact for a while, Mason. Your mother and I haven't had word about anything."

Mason sends him a glare, "Yeah, because your wife decided to be a controlling bitch of a woman."

Robert doesn't shout at Mason for the insult, or really react in any way a doting husband should. Instead he pinches his lips into a thin line, "I'm sorry."

Mason's head whips to look at him, a mixture of shock and confusion swirling in his eyes. He expected his dad to get mad, to scold him or tell him that his mother only meant well, but he didn't. Instead he has one of the most sombre, apologetic expressions on his face that Mason had ever seen.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, and I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you when I should have. I have no excuse really, I should have protected you from your mother and I didn't."

Mason swallows the lump clawing its way up his throat, "Why didn't you?"

Mr Fain sighs, eyes flicking out to watch his two daughters, "You'd think there'd be a simple answer to that, Mace, but there's not," He pauses, before turning to look back at Mason, "When you were born, the doctors told us they'd have to operate on you because you hadn't developed properly."

Mason wasn't quite sure why his dad was telling him about his birth now, but he supposed he had never actually heard about his delivery into the world. His mother never talked about it.

"Against the doctors' recommendations, you had a surgery that allowed you to be able to use the bathroom as a boy. The other surgery was to ensure you would remain fertile."

Mason frowns, not sure why this was of importance. His father sees his confused face, and continues to explain, "The doctors informed us that even though your body looked different, you were genetically female."