Skin & Bones

I felt Mia sit next to me and her hand reached out for mine, she leant her head on my shoulder.

“Tell me about him, what would he have thought about me?” She questioned her voice so soft, so smooth. It was like she was talking to a child like she knew I could lose it any second.

“He would have loved you, thought you were good for me, probably thought you were too good for me. Would have thought you were too quiet too, our house used to be loud…” I mumbled recalling past memories that did nothing but hurt me to now remember. How things had changed.

Though looking over at Mia she was smiling back.

“What was he like though?” She asked, prompting me to keep going.

“He was this big bad biker guy, or at least he looked like one, until it came to mum and I.” I paused I didn’t know what to tell her, how do you explain what someone was like as a person. He was just my dad. But I kept going.
“He worked on cars and bikes all his life, told me my band sounded like angry drunk men at a karaoke machine. He just hated that we used his garage to practice.” I chuckled at memories; I felt Mia squeeze my hand and I looked over at her.

Her chest was heaving like she was trying to suppress tears.

“Sweetheart don’t cry.” I told her pulling her into my lap. She didn’t cry just nuzzled her face into my neck, like she was trying to hide from me.

“Do you want to go?” I asked her

“When you’re ready.”

“I’m ready.” I told her, she pulled back and stood waiting for me to get up I followed her back to the bike.

She stopped just in front of the bike, as though she was stopping me from getting on it.

“I know that you don’t seem to think very highly of yourself Noah, and you’re right you’re not innocent but that doesn’t make you a bad person.” She seemed to choke up a little. I was choking up, I couldn’t handle all this. “It just makes you stronger then most.”