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Chapter Eighteen
Jonah
Ifeltlikeafamily man again. Anyone else could have at that point. I had a son who was getting shaky at school because I had less time for him, a pregnant young fiancee who would do anything to be with me, and a child in her to expect.
I had as many problems as most fathers would. At least, it was the bare minimum that could happen. Claire nagged off a lot more and I had to babysit her sometimes. I was glad when the hospital asked her to come and stay with them for proper observations to avoid threatening complications.
For the few days she spent in the hospital, I felt some kind of peace for a moment. I had already forgotten how it was to have a woman in your life. It was usually harder than expected.
Will arrived one day from school looking sad. He had just lost a match, and it was not even an overly competitive one. It just seemed like he had been like that for much longer.
For the past few days, I'd been busy with Claire. Initially, Will behaved like he was completely fine with it, but eventually, he started showing little signs of jealousy. Sometimes, I would talk about Claire to see how interested he was in talking about her. Each time, he would avoid the conversation altogether.
"How are you doing son? Did the game go well?" I asked.
"Well, it didn't. We lost Dad. I did my best for the team, but it wasn't enough. I had to do more for the team to win, but it just seems like I'm not that guy anymore. It's been like this for a while now, and it's getting tiring in all honesty."
I had noticed. He had come back from almost every game deflated as he had just lost everything. I would ask but I didn't want to aggravate issues. Besides, I was hardly there to give him a push in the back like he was always used to from the beginning of his life.
It was just like the first time I got Will a bicycle. We were all happier and still together with his mother. He has fallen at the first attempt, and I had been there to help him up to go again. He was always glad when I was behind him to give him that push he always seemed to need.
"Listen, son. You are a man. Saying that means that you don't need me to be there for you every minute. You're older and more mature now. You're strong enough to deal with it now."
"But Dad. I…"
"Son. I'm always your biggest fan. When the chips are down and everyone seems to be against you, I'll always be there for you. But you have to understand that even fans don't attend their clubs' matches every day. I want to be there for you son. You deserve it more than everyone I know."
"But you're not the Dad I knew before. You were always there for me. Now, ever since you’ve been with Aunt Claire, you changed. I just wish I could get my Dad back. I don't care about having a Mom or sibling. Not anymore. You're enough for me, Dad. You stayed even when Mom left us. I'd run through brick walls for you Dad. That's the fact."
I didn't know he felt that way about me. Of course, I knew he was my son and probably loved me more than I thought, but he was so immersed in his life and friends that I didn't feel that way either. I loved him too much, and I never expected anything. Hearing him say that, made me elated.
"Son. I'm happy you said all that. If you want to do all you said, then that matters a lot to me. But trust me, I love you. I also care about you, son. But you have to understand that I have a life to live. You have yours too and you will understand better when you are older."
Will didn't seem convinced about what I said, but he agreed nonetheless. I was beginning to see that there was likely to be a feud between them both even before we got together. I suspected that Will already knew her age, hence his unwillingness to have her as his mother.
I knew he didn't have a say in my life. But he was my son. My only son for that matter. By God, he was probably more important than Claire herself. But I had to live. I was already in love with Claire, and that wasn't going to change so easily. She was so beautiful too.
There were times I sat down and wondered what our child would look like. If the baby looked anywhere like Claire, then it was bound to be beautiful. Will is such a cute boy, and sometimes, I suspected the girls in school flocked around him a lot. At least, I was sure he was much better looking than the friends he brought around.
Later that evening, Will and I went bike riding. It was a beautiful experience to do that with my son again. It was during that I realized that we hadn't done much together for a while. It was probably why he felt like I wasn't giving him much attention.
I saw Claire later. She was watching us have fun and there seemed to be a hint of jealousy in the way she looked at us. She looked fine though, and less in need of help or care.
"Hey, Dad!" Will shouted when I took my eyes off the road while helping him get used to the bike. He was learning and hadn't gotten perfect yet. Meanwhile, I was willing to help him learn, regardless.
I quickly hung onto the bicycle to support him. Soon, Will was riding the bicycle all around the environment, having fun. He didn't seem to need me anymore as he did before, and he soon got very steady while riding.
As soon as he seemed comfortable enough to go on his own, I sat down to watch him in pride. He was such a handsome and smart kid. I saw Claire stare at me from afar, and averted my gaze immediately. As much as I loved her, I was not in the mood to babysit her or patronize her for any reason.
She seemed good anyway, and it made me wonder if she felt some of the pain she claimed or if she did it for attention. Either way, all I wanted was peace, no matter how I found it eventually.
I heard my phone ring afterward. It was an unknown number and I wondered who it was.
"Hello?"
"Yes. Who's this?" I asked authoritatively.
"It's your Uncle, Andrew. I heard about Claire and the pregnancy and I think we should have a meeting soon."
