Destroyer of Time: Pyrokinesis

Chapter Thirteen: Lost and Found

     "Ron, I'm starting to get concerned. Either your son sleeps like a log, or he's dead," was the first thing I heard coming out of sleep. 

     "He got that from, Claire. It was impossible to wake her up at certain times. There was this one time when we traveled to the outskirts of Europe. There was a bad storm passing through that time, and we were sleeping on the floor in one of these small houses. They announced the night before that there was a possibility of a flash flood, and they were telling people to evacuate, but we missed it, and we stayed there to sleep instead. Well, come midnight, I woke to find that water started coming through the small gap underneath the door. Let's just say that it took an absurd amount of effort to wake her up. I literally had to put her over my shoulder and run out of the house because the water was coming in so quickly. I left her bag and only brought mine cause I got the essentials and bolted out of there. She only woke up after we were already a mile from the house, and we were drenching wet." 

     Huh? I've never heard this story before. Interesting. 

I opened my eyes a little bit and saw both men standing by my study desk. My dad was smiling while looking at Uncle Road, who was dying of laughter, holding his stomach. "You know what she did when she woke up?"

My uncle had to catch his breath first before he could respond. "She ran back to the house to get her things?'

Dad shook his head with a grin. "That does sound like something she would do, but no. She woke up, flailed around that I ended up dropping her, and then stood up. She looked around, and out of nowhere, she started dancing in the rain. She didn't even care to ask why we were outside. She just danced and danced until she was tired. Then she made me piggyback her." 

Uncle Road fell into another bout of hysterics over Dad's story. "That sounds exactly like her," he said in between gasped breaths. "Damning woman."

     "Yeah," Dad agreed. His smile fell a little bit as he got a distant look in his eyes. 

Uncle Road noticed that, and his laughter halted. He waited for a beat, staring at my dad before asking, "Do you miss her?" 

My dad jolted, seemingly caught off guard by the question. He opened his mouth, obviously prepared with a practiced reply, but no words came, so he shut it again. He looked down at his hand for a few seconds, at the ring that he still wore and smiled sadly. "You know, the last few years we were together were rough times. We constantly fought and disagreed over everything—even small things. By the end, she was calling me names I'd never heard before. But, I would be lying if I say that I don't miss her. I do. More so lately than ever. At times, I find myself reaching for the phone and dialing her number, but then I remember some of the things that drove us apart and always end up not calling. I haven't talked to her in years, and I can't help but wonder how she is. If she's doing okay."

     "I'm sure she's doing just fine, Ron. This is Claire we're talking about. Remember the time she beat up three boys for picking on her friend?"

They both chuckled at the shared memory. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I think one of them had to live with dentures for the rest of his life." 

They laughed again before falling silent; both lost in thought for a bit. I saw Dad glance in my direction, and I closed my eyes in reflex, pretending to be asleep still. "I'm more concerned about the impact she left on Hunter, though. She left us when he was still young and never reached out to him. Sure, I didn't do well raising him and being there for him, but at least he could see me every day. He could see that I'm around. She vanished into thin air. That's one of the reasons I wanted to reach out to her. To at least tell her that we created a wonderful human being and that she should connect with him while she can because, Road, I know that my kid won't wait forever. I feel like I barely made it in time myself."

There was deep loneliness in my father's voice, and I had to c***k my eyes open a bit to look at their direction. Uncle Road had a crestfallen look in his face as he rubbed my father's shoulder. My dad was back to looking at his ring with a sorrowful expression. Tears were streaming down his face, and I had to swallow a sudden lump in my throat. 

     "What did we do to deserve such a good kid like him? We're awful parents. We had no business bringing something so amazing in this world when we couldn't even take care of him."

     "Shut up, Ron," Uncle Road looked furious at him. He grabbed his shoulder and shook him a bit. "Do you want your kid to hear that you wouldn't want to bring him to this world if you can? Do you want him to think that you don't love him and think it would've been better if he's not around?" 

     Holy s**t! Ouch! 

My dad started shaking his head, vigorously. "No. No. That's not what I meant. I love him, and even though I f****d up for so many years, I'm gonna be there for him from now on. I just thought that it would've been better if I'm not his father. It would've been better if he was raised by someone who loved him fully from the beginning. Not by some dysfunctional parents that he couldn't rely on."

Uncle Road pushed him softly. "Then stop thinking that!" he shouted. "You told me that even after so many years of detached conversations and brief interactions with him, he still managed to find a heart to forgive you. The least you could do is actually show him now that you love him. You gotta stop living in the past. Show that seemingly amazing person lying in that bed that you're ready to become what he always wanted you to be. Show him that you're his father. Not just through biology, but also affection."

     "You're right. You're right. I gotta stop thinking about those things. From now on, I'll focus on him and on salvaging our relationship."

He got a pat on his shoulder. "Good. Because if you don't, I'm gonna kick your ass."

They shared another laugh before Uncle Road pulled my dad towards him and embraced him tightly. My father wrapped his arms around him the same way. "I've missed you, brother." 

     "I've missed you, too. I'm sorry for not reaching out for years."

     "No more apologies. You can make it up to us now. What's important is that you finally got your head out of your ass."

They broke apart with a smile, and any further conversation they could've had at the time got interrupted by me, suddenly coughing. I tried to stifle it, but it didn't want to back down. So, my eyes burst open while coughing up. 

They immediately approached closer with my dad taking a sit on the side of my bed. He looked concerned as he watched my small fit. "Hey, buddy. You want some water?"

I nodded, breathing hard after the coughing stopped. He went to the corner of my room and opened the minifridge to grab a bottle of water. I sat up, feeling a bit of strength compared to yesterday's, as he handed me the bottle. I took a few gulps of the water to quench my thirst and clear my slightly sore throat. 

My father sat back on the side of my bed and observed me. "How are you holding up? Feeling any better?" 

"Yeah. Still a bit tired and groggy but much stronger. I could eat, though." 

     "Let me reheat the leftover chicken soup from yesterday, and I'll bring it up here, okay?" My dad inquired, standing up. 

     "I'm actually feeling very hungry. Not sure if the soup would cut it," I responded, a little embarrassed. 

I heard a snort from the end of the bed, but I didn't look at the direction because I would only get irritated to see the certain smirk my uncle was flashing at me. "How about this? I'll bring the soup first. If you can keep it down and still feel hungry, then we'll make more food. Sounds good?"

     "Yeah. That sounds perfect." I smiled at him, and he did the same to me. 

     "I'll leave you here with your uncle for now, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." 

     "Sure. I don't mind staying here with Uncle Road," I said, emphasizing his name again.

I felt victory to see him wince upon hearing the title. I chuckled a bit and asked, "What's wrong, Uncle Road? Why do you look like you're in pain?"

He shook his head at me before answering, "My bad. I'm just not used to hearing someone call me Uncle."

I frowned at him. "Wait. Why? Don't I have cousins that call you that?"

     "Well, it's different to hear it coming from two ten-year-olds. It's cute and adorable. Hearing it from you gives me the hives. It makes me feel ancient."

I burst out laughing at his ridiculous reason. "How about my other cousin? Didn't you say he's around my age?" 

     "Oh. Yeah. He doesn't call me "Uncle." Kid's a bit of a delinquent, to put it nicely." 

I was going to ask more about that other cousin of mine, but my dad chose to kiss me on the forehead before walking out of the room, leaving my speechless once again and evaporating my train of thought. 

Uncle Road saw my expression and roared with laughter. I glared at him until he shut up. "I should've taken a picture of your face. Priceless," he said, wiping the tears of his eyes. 

     "I'm not used to him doing that, okay?" I retorted, crossing my arms defensively. 

     Don't pout. Don't pout. Don't do it.

He abruptly stopped and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, kid---"

     "I'm not a kid," I interrupted him. 

     "My bad, my bad. I'm so used to calling anyone younger than me, kid. Force of habit," he explained. He smiled apologetically at me, and I could see that it was genuine. "Anyway, I'm really sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be laughing at you guys when you have those moments, but I couldn't just help it. So, my apologies." 

I looked at him for a few seconds and nodded. "That's fine. It just keeps catching me off guard. I never thought in a million years that my father would come close to me. Much less show affection like that."

"Hey, I get it, and I promise I wouldn't laugh at you two again. He's really trying his best, so take it easy on him."

     "I will. I just didn't think it was ever gonna happen, you know?" 

     "He's here now. That's all that matters. Don't waste it holding a grudge against him," he told me. 

I nodded again, feeling a bit exposed to this person who still felt like a stranger. "You wanna know something crazy?"

     "What's that?"

     "I don't hold any grudge or resentment or whatever against him. When he told me that he wants to do better by me, all I felt was joy and relief. In my head, I was screaming, "Finally." I mean, I was doubtful and angry at the beginning. I kept wondering why now. Why this time? But once I've gotten past all that and just saw how serious and sincere he was, everything else didn't matter. I got a dad for the first time in my life, and he wants me." 

I felt burning behind my lids, and I had to blink a couple of times to push the tears back. Meanwhile, Uncle Road turned his side on me, averting his gaze, but I could still see him wiping his arm on his eyes. When he looked at me, his eyes were still wet and a bit red. "Geez. You're really a good kid," he gruffly said with a smile. He went around the bed and suddenly pulled me towards him. "Come over here."

I was taken aback by his actions and couldn't stop myself from moving forward. Not that I would be able to stop him from doing anything even if I wasn't in shock. I felt his tree trunk sized arms wrapped around me as my face went over his boulder-like shoulder. I tried to do the same to him, but I struggled because he was massive. 

We hugged for a few seconds before I pulled away, feeling a bit embarrassed for being so emotional in front of him. He was grinning again and stayed seated by me. "I know we just met, and you're probably still trying to take this all in. But I want you to know that I'm there for you whenever you need me. We're a family. You got that?"

     "Yeah. I got it," I replied with a chuckle. "And I guess I'm also here for you whenever you need me." 

He laughed softly. "Good. Also, keep calling me "Uncle." I know I made a show earlier on how I think it's weird. Well, it's still a bit strange, but I'll get used to it. I want to get used to it." 

     "Okay, Uncle Road," I jokingly said. 

He grinned and shook his head. "Cheeky kid." 

We fell silent together, unsure of what to say next. I had a ton of questions, but I didn't feel comfortable asking him. We'd just known each other for a day, and I didn't want to come off as invasive and nosy if I suddenly just asked a lot of personal questions. 

I was still deciding whether I should ask him or not when he spoke, "I know you were awake the whole time, you know?" 

My mouth opened for a second, but I couldn't think of something to say quickly. A few seconds passed before I found my words. "What is that?"

     "I know you were awake earlier when I was talking to your dad." He gave me a knowing smile. "You thought you were so slick, pretending to be asleep. I've mastered that technique, boy." 

My first instinct was to deflect and pretend that I didn't know what he was talking about, but seeing that look in his eyes, I knew that I couldn't trick him. Instead, I just shrugged and admitted my crime. "I wanted to hear what you guys were talking about. Dad never told me anything when I was growing up. I didn't even know we had living relatives until yesterday. So, sue me for listening in," I told him defensively.

     "Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna roast you or anything like that. I just wanted to say that everything your dad said is true. He's still struggling a bit right now, but eventually, he'll get there." 

I saw the confidence in his face as he said those words, and even though I was already willing to mend my relationship with my father, that gave me an extra boost of assurance that I did that right thing for doing so. 

     "Yeah. I know."

     "Good man," he muttered, patting my knee. 

I finally got the courage to ask him those personal questions that had plagued me since discovering his existence, but my dad chose that same moment to enter the room, carrying a tray of steaming soup. He set the tray in front of me with a smile. "Here we go, son." 

     "Thanks, Dad," I said appreciatively. 

     "You're welcome."

Uncle Road stood up and pulled out his phone, frowning upon seeing the screen. "Well, I'll leave you guys for now. I'm gonna go and make some phone calls," he said before walking out of the room briskly without another word. 

I started slowly eating the soup, careful not to burn my tongue again. It was still a little numb. Dad just hovered close, taking the place Uncle Road vacated on my bed while watching me eat my food. His actions would've probably been strange to some but not to me. I was happy having him near me. I felt well cared for. 

The spoon occasionally hitting the bowl was the only sound between us while I slurped down the chicken soup. I wasn't kidding when I told them that I was hungry. After two minutes, with the first spent blowing the soup to cool it down, I emptied the entire bowl into my stomach. I had a newfound appreciation for chicken soup once it was all gone because I felt marginally better already. I rubbed my warm stomach and let out a loud burp. 

We burst out laughing at my display. "You feeling better?" my dad asked.

     "Yeah. A lot."

     "Good. Are you still hungry?" he asked as he was grabbing the tray in front of me. 

The quick "Yes" was on the tip of my tongue and about to come out when I suddenly stopped. I looked down at my hand, still rubbing my stomach for a second before glancing up to my dad. He was giving me an amused look with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I think I'm good for now. Thanks, Dad," I mumbled, clearing my throat. 

I thought that I would still be starving even after eating the soup when my dad offered to bring it to me earlier. But now that I finished it, I didn't feel hungry anymore. 

     What's in that chicken soup? Magic broth?

     "Well, I'm gonna bring this to the kitchen and wash it. I'll be back in a bit," he stated before turning and walking to the door. 

I stared at his retreating back, feeling a sudden urge to talk to him. "Hey, Dad!" I called out.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around with raised brows. "What's up? You need anything?" 

     "I---" I started but hesitated when he just kept looking at me. I cleared the lump in my throat and tried again. "Do you mind if we talk for a second? I just got some questions I wanted to ask you."

     "Sure, son. I don't mind." He put the tray down on top of my desk and came back beside my bed. "So, what do you wanna ask me?" 

The courage I found earlier was suddenly nowhere to be found. I had to look at my hands, fiddling with each other on my lap to avoid my father's questioning eyes. I was mentally smacking myself for opening my big mouth when I could've just kept it shut and not be in this predicament. 

I felt the bed dipped when my father sat, but I still kept my eyes averted. He placed his hand on my knee and patted it. "Son, listen to me. Whatever you want to talk about, you can do it with me. Feel free to ask me anything." 

His words gave me the reassurance I needed, and I took a deep breath before I started talking, "I don't want you to be mad." 

     "I promise I won't be mad."

     "Well, I was kinda listening in to your conversation earlier," I confessed, staring at my fidgeting hands again. 

I waited for the angry screams to start, but a few seconds passed, and nothing came. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to find a grin on my dad's face. He shook my shoulder and said, "I knew you were awake. You weren't exactly subtle."

     "You knew? Why didn't you say anything?"

He frowned. "Hmm. Not really sure why I didn't. I guess I wanted you to hear our conversation."

     "You did?" 

     "Yeah. I guess I did."

I suddenly felt a weight off my shoulders by just knowing that my father knew that I was eavesdropping in their conversation. I didn't feel so guilty for doing so. "Well, I'm sorry for doing that. But since I already did, I just wanted to ask." I forced myself to look directly in his eyes before continuing, "Can you tell me if you have a connection between the fires happening in our neighborhood and what the hell is this Cycle you guys were talking about?" 

It was the first time I'd seen a surprise expression fully appear at my father's face. His mouth even dropped open. It was a bit comical. Then he gave me the strangest response.   

He opened his mouth and started cackling.