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Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I get up, go to the door, and knock.
The old man opens the door. He’s put on weight, gone gray, and I’m taller than him.
“Took you long enough, Diego,” he says in Portuguese.
I don’t smile. “Fuck you, Dad.”
“You’re not in prison, so there’s that.”
Once an asshole, always an asshole, and I really want to punch him. But the woman and the kids, their images fresh, stop me.
“You don’t hit them, do you? Get drunk? Make their lives hell?”
“Oh, you saw my wife and kids.” There’s a look on his face I don’t like, and it takes me a moment to realize what it is and why.
He loves them, and I’ve never seen that look sent my way.
“Your money helped me clean up. I’m sober.”
“Yeah,” I say, knowing I should congratulate him or something. But he didn’t bother cleaning up for me. “Well.”
“You helped. And Leanne.”
“Are you working?” His gaze shifts.
“Here and there.”
I’m not an idiot. I know he doesn’t want the money to stop. I have more than enough, and what I send him . . . I used to think it was the guilt trade off. But I don’t think I should feel guilty for not seeing him for all these years. Not anymore.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep sending you that money. Try and ask for a cent more, and you’ll get cut off, though.”
“Diego, I’m your father.”
“Yeah,” I say again. “Well.”
“Family. Just because I have—”
“For years, I hated this place and myself. I spent a long time thinking I wasn’t good enough because of how much you resented me. I thought I drove Mom off. Even though I knew the truth. It was you. The town’s still poison to me. But now I see you’re weak. Best of luck with the new family. Keep them happy. Have a good life.”
And with that, I turn and walk away.
* * *
In my hotel room, I stretch on the bed. I expected that confrontation to be . . . I don’t know, climactic? Cathartic? A lightbulb fucking moment?
Instead, it’s a fizz in the dark and nothing at all.
I’m sure she’s nice and my little half-brothers are fine. They seemed fine. But I have a family, a good one, and that was . . .
Laying old ghosts to rest.
Saying goodbye.
And Nadia?
With a sigh, I get up, collect my shit from the office safe, and I hand over the key. Then I return and push the door I left open and get things ready to go.
