Gaijin No More

Cody's POV

I'm not sure how long Dad and I stood there, eyes wide and minds filled with questions. Neither of us had seen this coming and the look on our faces probably told so.

The silence between the three of us would have gone on and on forever most likely if the lady in front of us hadn't broken it.

“Hello Bruce,” her voice was neutral, maybe a bit strained or so, “aren't you going to invite me in?”

This seemed to pull Dad back to reality. He stuttered out something incoherent and we both stepped away from the door, allowing the lady to come in. I quickly slipped through the door and threw the trash into the garbage can before getting back in. I was confused as hell.

I found Dad and... uhm... I think it would be the best if I called the woman Allison. It made me feel weird to try to think of her as my mother. And calling her 'the person who gave birth to me' felt a bit too crude. Anyway, they were sitting at the kitchen table, both staring at each other, faces expressionless.

I sat next to Dad, not knowing what else to do. I kept my eyes on the table, feeling too shy to look up. I felt Allison's eyes on me, which made me incredibly uncomfortable.

“You look good, Cody,” she said, her voice soft. I glanced her through my bangs, not acknowledging her words in any other way. What was I supposed to say? That 'you look good too', when I could hardly remember her?

Then, to my relief, Dad asked the question that I had been dying to ask since the moment I realized who she was.

“Why are you back?” It came out bluntly, and I couldn't really blame Dad. Allison didn't seem surprised.

“I wanted to know how you were doing.” That was nice of her, but I think she was a bit too late.

“Well, we're doing great. Now was there anything else?” Dad asked coolly.

Allison let out a sigh. “Come on Bruce, don't be like that.”

“Like what? You got your answer and if that's all you wanted to know, I think you should leave.”

“No... That's not the only reason why I am here...” Allison's voice was quiet as she spoke. She cleared her throat a bit before continuing. “I also wanted to... apologize.”

Dad was silent for a moment. “Care to explain what exactly happened eight years ago?” his voice was softer now and I could've sworn I hear a hint of sadness in his tone.

Allison took a deep breath before starting. “I just couldn't stay here anymore. It felt like something was choking me here. I felt so claustrophobic I thought I might burst. I needed to get away, Bruce.”

I but my lip as I watched Dad's reaction. He didn't seem satisfied with her explanation.

“So you decided to take off just like that? Left only a note with no explanation? God, Allison, what were you thinking?” Dad was starting to lose his cool. He had maintained it longer than I thought.

Allison lowered her gaze on her hands.

“I had to do it Bruce. I had no other choice!” she tried to reason.

“But why? You could've talked to me! I thought we were happy! For God's sake, married people are supposed to trust and help each other, not run away! You really hurt me Allison. Did you even think what your decision did to me? To Cody?” Oh no Dad, don't pull me into this yet!

“I'm sorry, okay?” Allison blurted, apprehensively. “But what is done is done, so --” her speech was cut off when my cell phone went off. I quickly fished it out from my pocket, checking who was trying to reach me.

“It's Aiden. Should I call off our plans or..?” I asked my Dad, not sure what to do. Would he want me to stay here and try to figure out what was going on?

“No need to, Cody,” he said and ruffled my hair. “You go have fun with Aiden. I can handle this.” I glanced at Allison from the corner of my eye and saw she was slightly annoyed as we talked like she wasn't even there.

I rose from my chair and went to the hallway to answer the phone. Aiden told me he'd come and get me within ten minutes. I could hear Dad and Allison talk in the background, though I couldn't make out any words. I said quick bye to Aiden and hung up the phone, making my way back to the kitchen.

“Uh... Aiden is coming to get me in ten minutes or so,” I informed Dad, who nodded in response.

“I think you should leave Allison. I have a guest coming over soon,” Dad said.

“Is Aiden your friend Cody?” Allison asked, not paying any attention to Dad's words. I was taken aback of the sudden interest in me.

“Aiden is Cody's boyfriend. Let me show you to the door,” Dad tried again to get Allison to leave, but once again she paid no mind to my dad. Instead her eyes were fixed on me, her face horror stricken.

“He's your what?” I didn't like her reaction. I didn't like it at all.

“My boyfriend?” shit, it wasn't supposed to sound like a question. I was now a little wary of Allison.

“You're gay?” she shrieked, making me flinch. I didn't know what to say to her, but luckily I didn't have to think about it since Dad stepped in.

“That's right, Cody is dating Aiden.” His tone was firm, signaling that this discussion was over. “I think our business here is done. It was nice to finally hear from you Allison, but I think it's time for you to go back to your new life, wherever it is.”

“Oh, this is far from over,” Allison protested and stood up, almost knocking her chair over. She glared at Dad for a moment before turning her attention back to me. “Cody, I want to take you to Chicago with me. For good.”

Say what?!