Just Can't Let You Go

I stared at the face of Logan, his eyes tired and bags under his eyes. "I honestly wanted to return the moment I walked out, beg you to not let me go." I stared down at the table, my mind completely out of it. "I can't lie, I made the mistake of not being there for her, not being the father figure I truly should have been."

"You can say that again," Logan said, stifling a yawn and rubbing his eyes.

"She passed away three years ago," I whispered, looking at Logan, fresh tears in my eyes. When he didn't say anything, I went on. "Anya, my grandmother. She was found by my mom. Cause of death was natural causes and old age. She was 106."

We sat there in silence for a long moment before I broke it. "Sorry to get off the subject. I've hardly been myself since she passed. It's another reason as to why I've waited so long to come by. I didn't want to subject either of you to the pitiful man I let myself become. Although, I was pitiful from the get-go."

"She's a straight-A student, Shane. Hasn't made anything lower for quite sometime. She's asked to take up guitar lessons, because she wants to be like her old man," Logan said, causing me to give a smile.

"I hope she doesn't become too much like me. You know how careless I can be," I said, causing Logan to nod. "I think she'd be an excellent musician."

"She has become more patient over the last few years," Logan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Although, she's gets more and more like you everyday, except she takes things more slowly." I nodded, gently grabbing Logan's hands and studying them for a moment.

"They're calloused. You've been teaching her, haven't you?" I asked, causing him to nod.

"What bit I knew, anyway," he said, both of us making eye contact. I started to lean forward, but stopped, unsure of what I was doing. Neither of us said anything for a long time, just sat there studying each other. We didn't know what to say after nearly nine years.

Time Elapse

I was sitting on the back porch, a guitar in hand, a notebook and pen to across from me. "I'm home!" I heard a young girl call, getting an immediate response from Logan. I set the guitar aside and went in, just as a beautiful girl walked into the kitchen. "D-Dad?" she said, stopping in her tracks as she stared up at me.

"Evy?" I said, my eyes filling with tears. She ran over to me, jumping up a bit as her arms wrapped around my neck. I held her there for a long moment, the tears falling freely. She pulled away and stared up at my face, a smile appearing. "Look at you. You look so much like your mother... but, you have my eyes. That's a plus," I said, poking her ribs. She laughed for a moment, looking over at Logan when he entered the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, Evelyn?" he asked, causing her to nod.

"I'm going to catch up. We'll be outside," she said, getting some mumbled noise from Logan as we walked out onto the back porch. "How's Reggie?"

"He's doing good. He moved out to New Zealand a couple weeks ago for an acting job," I said, sitting down and placing the guitar in my lap.

"Reggie got into acting? What about the band?" she asked, completely curious. "What about the tour?"

"You haven't been keeping up apparently. Not long after you and Logan got back, the band parted ways. Well, except for Reggie and I," I said, but she apparently became more preoccupied with the notebook which had a handful of songs written in it. She was currently reading the song I was now working on.

"Once in the dear dead days beyond recall; When on the world the mists began to fall; Out of the dreams that rose in happy throng; Low to our hearts Love sang an old sweet song; And in the dusk where fell the firelight gleam; Softly it wove itself into our dream." She looked up at me, a small smile on her face. "Sounds like it's becoming a good song. Makes me think of you and mom," she said, setting the book down on the small table between us.

"I started this about six months ago, and this is as far as I got. I've been out here for a good hour trying to add more. Want to hear what I've added so far?" She nodded eagerly, and we both looked up as the door opened and out came Logan. He sat down across from us and smiled warmly.

I started strumming, the music filling the air around us. "I'm gonna start with the first verse, that way Logan here can get the feel for it as well." Both nodded and I finally started singing. "Once in the dear dead days beyond recall; When on the world the mists began to fall; Out of the dreams that rose in happy throng; Low to our hearts Love sang an old sweet song; And in the dusk where fell the firelight gleam; Softly it wove itself into our dream." I smiled at the two before I went on.

"Just a song a twilight, when the lights are low; And the flick'ring shadows softly come and go; Tho' the heart be weary, sad the day and long; Still to us at twilight comes Love's old song; Comes Love's old sweet song." As I continued to play, more words came. My eyes closed as the song went on. I felt the chills run through me as I remembered everything from the moment Logan and I met to now, everything was like a roller coaster.

Once the song came to an end, I felt fresh tears in my eyes. I looked up at the two most important people of my life, both looking at me with a stunned silence. "Say something. Either of you," I whispered, setting the guitar down between me and dropping my head.