Chapter 10: What about me?
865 Words
Henry hadn’t said much the last two days.
He’d watched Portia walk into the house beaming, practically floating, talking about how her grandmother had hugged her like she was some long-lost princess. How the rice was perfect. How there were baby photos of Shaun’s sons. How Ma Solomon had offered to take her shopping next weekend.
Dodo had smiled and nodded. She was proud. She was relieved.
Henry had gone to his room and shut the door.
The silence lingered — like the moment before a plate shatters.
---
They were driving home from the grocery store when it finally came out.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“If Portia’s dad is going to be part of her life now… what about mine?”
Dodo’s hands stiffened on the steering wheel. “I told you, baby, I went to see him.”
“Yeah, and he didn’t even bother to show up,” Henry muttered, eyes fixed out the window. “He probably doesn’t care.”
“He said he had to speak to his wife.”
Henry scoffed. “Portia’s dad has a wife too, and he’s still coming to see her.”
Dodo sighed. “It’s… different.”
“Why? Because he has money?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Henry turned toward her now. “Do I have his eyes?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
“Do I have his laugh?”
She hesitated. “Sometimes. When you laugh from your belly.”
“Did he ever ask about me?”
Dodo swallowed. “No.”
That silence hit harder than any answer.
Henry leaned back, arms crossed tightly. “I bet he hates me.”
“Henry, no—”
“I bet he thinks I’m just… another mistake.”
Dodo parked outside the house but didn’t turn off the engine.
“I need to tell you something,” she said, turning in her seat.
Henry didn’t move.
“When I met your dad, I wasn’t looking for love. I was scared. I wanted someone to see me. And he did. He loved me — in the only way he knew how. But I wanted more. I thought I could… pull something out of him that he wasn’t ready to give.”
“Like what?”
“Commitment. A family. A version of love he wasn’t taught. And instead of accepting the love he could give, I pushed him. I accused. I tested him. I thought he failed me. But I failed him too.”
She reached for Henry’s hand. “He loved us. I know that. He just didn’t know how to hold onto us. And I didn’t know how to meet him halfway.”
“So you left?”
“I left before he could disappoint me any deeper.”
Henry blinked at her, jaw clenched.
“I don’t hate him,” Dodo said. “But I do regret not understanding him. I blamed him all these years. And maybe I should have done more to keep him in your life.”
Henry’s eyes were glassy now. “You think he’d even want to meet me?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll keep trying. Because you deserve answers, even if they’re ugly. And you deserve love — not just from me. From him too.”
Henry nodded. Then said, “Can I ask one more thing?”
“Anything.”
“Did you call me Henry because of him?”
Dodo smiled. “No. I called you Henry because it means ‘home ruler’. I wanted you to grow up knowing you belonged. Even if our home looked different.”
Henry looked down at his shoes. “I just want what Portia has.”
Dodo pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on his curls.
“I know, my baby,” she whispered. “And I won’t stop fighting for you to have it.”
---
Later That Night – Sibling Moment
Portia knocked once, then slipped into Henry’s room.
“You okay?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Just thinking.”
She sat at the edge of his bed. “About our dads?”
“Yeah.”
They were quiet for a while.
“Mom said I have my dad’s laugh,” Henry mumbled.
“She said I have my dad’s nose,” Portia offered. “Not sure how I feel about that.”
Henry snorted. “At least you know him now.”
Portia nudged him gently. “You’ll know yours too. Just… maybe not today.”
Henry glanced at her, a little smile flickering. “You think he looks like me?”
“Definitely,” Portia said. “You have his ears. No offence.”
They laughed.
“Thanks,” Henry said quietly.
“For what?”
“For not pretending everything’s perfect.”
Portia looked at her younger brother — always so careful with his emotions. Always watching, taking notes on how everyone moved through the world.
“You’re not invisible, you know,” she said. “You’re not a side character in my story.”
He nodded. Then reached over and gave her a quick, awkward hug.
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