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Another muttered expletive from Abe, but still no apology.
“This is ludicrous. Your mother and I have always cared about you.”
“Yeah, but caring didn’t extend to you being there for my first day at school, or the time I made school captain, or the time I was dux at uni. And it sure as hell doesn’t extend to you being upfront with me about why you want me working here.”
That hurt most of all; after all this time, his father still couldn’t be honest with him. He treated him like a subordinate, someone to be kept in the dark and fed on BS.
Not anymore.
“Where’s all this coming from?” As expected, his father’s audible confusion showed Abe didn’t have a clue.
“Honestly? I should’ve said this a long time ago. Guess I still hoped you’d change, but I’m done being your stooge. Not after this stunt you pulled.”
“Look, Son, I just wanted to give you a feel for the job, to see if you liked it before I made any decisions.” To his surprise, Abe sounded distressed rather than the angry or defensive as he’d expected.
“That’s bull.” Running a hand over his face, he took a steadying breath, knowing he had to stay calm to get his point across. It was now or never. If Abe didn’t get it now, he never would. “You manipulated me, Dad, just like you always have. You wanted me to do exactly what you wanted so you pulled the sick card, knowing I wouldn’t say no. Want to know the stupid part? I thought you needed me for once, that you might actually care enough to reach out. But I was wrong. You used me. You put your needs first as always.”
“Well, then.” Abe exhaled and silence reigned for a few seconds before he cleared his throat like he had a million frogs stuck in it. “You’re right, I want you to take over as CEO permanently but I knew you wouldn’t go for it if I asked, so I wanted to give you a little taste of it, make sure you’d step up.”
Abe’s admission should’ve eased the bitterness. It didn’t. It merely served to reinforce the huge emotional gap between them.
“So you played up your heart problems?”
Abe sighed, sounding wearier than he ever had. “My blood pressure is under control with medication and I haven’t had an angina attack in a while. Yes, I had to take a break on doctor’s orders but not for this long. That was me hoping you’d like the top job enough to stay.”
“You manipulated me.”
This time, he spoke without rancor. A flat statement that no amount of ranting or raving or emotion could change.
“Yes, I did. I was grooming you and this was the only way I thought to get you to do it.”
No apology, no back down. But then, what did Aidan expect? Selfish people couldn’t see what they did was wrong. The end always justified the means.
“I can’t change your mind?”
Appalled by his father’s gall, Aidan said, “No. And unlike you, I have a conscience and don’t only think of myself, so like I said, I’ll give you a few weeks to find a replacement but after that I’m out of here.”
He could’ve sworn he heart a choked sound akin to a sob down the line but that couldn’t be right. That would mean his dad cared and Abe didn’t. Not by a long shot.
“You didn’t really become an archaeologist to get my attention, did you?”
A good question, something Aidan had pondered at length over the last twenty-four hours.
“Actually, my career choice wasn’t all about you. I guess you and mum instilled your love of old stuff into me from a young age, and hanging around all those dig sites spurred me on. That’s the only time you ever paid me real attention, when I found something.”
Another sharp intake of breath let out on a slow hiss, before Abe said, “I’m sorry, Son. I had no idea.”
And just like that, some of Aidan’s residual animosity dissolved. Ironic, considering he’d spent a lifetime carrying around this baggage and all it took was a simple apology to lift the weight from his shoulders.
“That’s the first time you’ve ever apologized for anything.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that too.” Abe paused and Aidan could imagine his dad’s expression—brow furrowed, deep grooves bracketing his mouth—what he’d always labelled his ‘thinking’ face. “I’ll be flying back once I wrap things up here. Can we have a man to man chat as soon as I get back to Melbourne?”
“I probably won’t be around. Maybe next time I’m in town?”
“When will that be?”
“No idea at this stage.”
