“I would have made time for her. Besides, my sister-in-law needs to be properly acclimated into the Summers clan. Heeey! We need more beer over here!” Perry obnoxiously called out.
Tim and a few other of his friends sat with them at a large table knocking back a few brewskies and watching the girls dance. Club Razor was not the place he’d imagined for hosting their engagement party, but Tim insisted it was the perfect spot. He was wrong; the venue was wrought with skuzzy people, techno music that thumped in your chest, and the air was coated in second hand marijuana smoke. But all he and Addison could do was laugh and roll with it anyhow. Her parents had cut out early, and now it was just she and her sisters and a few of her friends and Denise shaking their asses under the spinning lights.
“Tonight was fun, man. This is good. I think you made a good choice.” Tim chugged a bottle of beer like there was no tomorrow.
“Well, thank you, ol’ wise one. What would I do without your keen insight?” Aiden teased as he searched in vain for a nacho with a bit of cheese on it. He was certain Addison would’ve wanted a swankier dive, something posh and classy, but he was happy she’d been a good sport and took Tim up on his offer to host and pay for the entire shindig as an early wedding gift. Aiden began to zone out as he focused on his sweetie. He could hear his friends around him chit chatting, talking it up, but their voices became more and more muted as he watched her laugh, talk to her friends, and snap her fingers in the air.
She’s the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen…
He could not hear her words, but he still listened to her voice.
She was heard, loud and clear. Her soul was always in stereo, singing to him, reminding him that not every day was awesome, and there was no reason to pretend that it was. But each day was a blessing because someone out in the world loved us, and love is what made a person not just heard, but listened to. Love made a man pour his soul over the pain of his loved ones like water on a flame. Love was the question and the answer, and at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered…
I played golf with my future-father-in-law. I freaking suck at golf but I’m sure he wasn’t disappointed, especially after he’d won our little wager…
Aiden walked into his condo, exhausted. He’d spent the entire morning playing a game he abhorred but refusing such an invitation from Mr. Blue would have been viewed as a slap in the face. He had to admit though, he’d had a great time and they’d enjoyed some good coffee and apple Danishes afterward.
Then, in the afternoon, he roamed around town with Addison while she took her time picking out her dream wedding gown. They all looked the same to him, and by the eighth one, he admitted this. Still, that didn’t stop her from continuing to ask his opinion. He had no idea why he had to go, but he figured perhaps if he did, he could get a bit of nookie later in the day. That time of the month had just passed and now, she was free and clear. Surely she couldn’t refuse someone who’d held her damn purse while she slid into twenty-three dresses, now could she?
Her mother was there, protesting that she was breaking tradition by allowing him to see all of this sacred wedding dress mess play out in the first place, but all Addison could say was, “I’m not a traditional woman, Mom.” And no one could argue with that; the lady was right. He slumped down on the couch, dead on his feet, glad that the golfing and wedding dress fittings were finally done. Addison would come over soon, but this was his moment to breath in and breath out, collect himself and perhaps get in a snooze. Soon he was fast asleep, but the oddest dream took over his REM state…
He was standing with a golden golf club in hand and he could hear Mr. Blue giving him pointers in the background. He couldn’t see the man, and he didn’t sound like himself. In fact, Aiden didn’t recognize the voice speaking at all. And yet, it seemed oddly familiar. As he looked for his future father-in-law, he heard the voice say, “I’m your father.”
“Yeah, my father-in-law.”
“No, I’m your father, Aiden… your real father.”
He turned in all directions until he was dizzy, the world spinning around him.
Aiden suddenly bolted up, awake, breathing heavily, his shirt stuck to his chest. Getting up from the couch, he went to splash his face in the sink, then filled a glass with tap water and drank the whole thing. He stood there for a long while, his thoughts racing.
He’d never had a dream about his biological father. Perhaps something about his time with Mr. Blue had sparked it. It had to have. In the weeks that had passed, he found himself discreetly studying the man and Addison from time to time. Not in a bad way; he was happy that his woman had such a close bond with her father, and he felt that, one day, he’d have a close bond with the man, too. But he wasn’t his father… and that was just the cruel, hard fact. Suddenly, his phone rang. Aiden made his way back over to the couch and answered.
“Hey baby, I’ll be over in a bit,” Addison said. “I had to finalize some stuff with my sister for the flowers. Did you want me to pick up anything on the way over?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”
“All right. See you in a bit.”
“Okay, see you.” He disconnected the call and returned to the couch. He must’ve stayed that way for at least ten minutes, barely blinking, then he logged into Facebook. In the search bar for profiles, he typed in the name: Gregory Bernard.
Many names popped up, more than he’d expected. He began to click on the various profiles.
No, that couldn’t be him… this guy lives in France. He could’ve moved to France I guess though… Nah, that’s not how Mom described him looking and this guy says he was born and raised there.
Nope, that’s not him, either… He’s way too young.
Hmmm, he has no profile picture but according to these other pictures, I doubt it’s him…
Mom had said he and I resemble each other. She said he liked motorcycles… he had a tattoo of a spider on his neck and long, light brown hair… He had a daughter named Rebecca who was about three when I was born. His ex-wife’s name was Vicki…
He kept on searching the names, one by one. Then he typed in, Rebecca Bernard, too, and he kept on going and going and going…
Something inside him had awakened. Reborn. He cared once again. The curiosity within him was sparked and he wanted to find the man who was partially responsible for his existence in this world. He wanted to look him in the eye, and if he was still alive, he wanted to give him a piece of his mind. He wanted to finally be heard…
“Please don’t hang up.” Her voice was clear that morning, though she sounded rather down in the dumps. “Aiden, Perry is over at my apartment. I called him first and he came.”
“So? Unless you are sober and going to get help, then there is nothing we need to discuss.” He glanced over to his left to see Addison lying peacefully on the pillow, still sound asleep.