What a Father Means
when he fails.
Curtains drawn, lights off and door locked. He had nothing to live for so he resorted to living in isolation. It had been like this for fifteen days and counting, though he couldn't keep up with the date or time because he lost his sense of time after the third day. He had no job, no friends and very little family. No girlfriend any more and his daughter would no longer be his daughter very soon.
The knock on the door came at three oh five in the morning. He was awake but didn't respond. A few moments later there was the sound of a lock being turned and before he could blink properly his door was opened and his sister stood in the doorway, hands on hip and a determined look on her face. But when she looked at him her look turned to one of sorrow.
"What are you doing? Why are you hiding out in this room?" she asked. She marched over to the window and drew back the curtains. The sudden light made him flinch and his eyes narrow into slits. She turned back to him. "Well?"
"Well, what?" he rasped. "I have nothing outside of this room."
Her eyes ran over her brother's figure under the blanket and she found herself wondering how he could allow himself to sink this low. She walked over to him and crouched down so that she could look him in the eye. "That little girl who is waiting for her father to grow up and get a grip is nothing? Are you really that much of a bastard?" she asked. "You're her father. You were made to go out and get her when something like this happens. Being her father means that you would go anywhere to get her. But where are you, huh? How much of a father are you now?"
He breathed out heavily. "I was made to fail her," he told her.
She found that her temper snapped with those words and she reached out and slapped him across the face. "How you could just sit there and wallow in your self pity is appalling. That little girl is expecting her father to go get her. She believes that her daddy loves her. How do you think she'll feel to know that her daddy did nothing to try and get her back?" she fumed.
There was an extended moment of silence before he replied. "So?"
"Right now you are no longer my brother. You are no longer welcome in this family. And if you let your daughter go just like that then expect to receive no sympathy from anyone," she spat. The woman stood up and crossed the room to the door. She didn't give another look back into the room before she slammed the door shut. The man let out a heavy sigh before he stood up and made his way over to his curtains.
He stood and thought about what his sister had said about his daughter. But after a minute he drew his curtains shut.
The knock on the door came at three oh five in the morning. He was awake but didn't respond. A few moments later there was the sound of a lock being turned and before he could blink properly his door was opened and his sister stood in the doorway, hands on hip and a determined look on her face. But when she looked at him her look turned to one of sorrow.
"What are you doing? Why are you hiding out in this room?" she asked. She marched over to the window and drew back the curtains. The sudden light made him flinch and his eyes narrow into slits. She turned back to him. "Well?"
"Well, what?" he rasped. "I have nothing outside of this room."
Her eyes ran over her brother's figure under the blanket and she found herself wondering how he could allow himself to sink this low. She walked over to him and crouched down so that she could look him in the eye. "That little girl who is waiting for her father to grow up and get a grip is nothing? Are you really that much of a bastard?" she asked. "You're her father. You were made to go out and get her when something like this happens. Being her father means that you would go anywhere to get her. But where are you, huh? How much of a father are you now?"
He breathed out heavily. "I was made to fail her," he told her.
She found that her temper snapped with those words and she reached out and slapped him across the face. "How you could just sit there and wallow in your self pity is appalling. That little girl is expecting her father to go get her. She believes that her daddy loves her. How do you think she'll feel to know that her daddy did nothing to try and get her back?" she fumed.
There was an extended moment of silence before he replied. "So?"
"Right now you are no longer my brother. You are no longer welcome in this family. And if you let your daughter go just like that then expect to receive no sympathy from anyone," she spat. The woman stood up and crossed the room to the door. She didn't give another look back into the room before she slammed the door shut. The man let out a heavy sigh before he stood up and made his way over to his curtains.
He stood and thought about what his sister had said about his daughter. But after a minute he drew his curtains shut.