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"Hi, Dad," Ariel managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to meet his gaze. "I know you said your piece last time, but I needed to see you."
Lee's eyes flickered with some unspoken emotion, but there was no sign of the fatherly love she so desperately craved. Instead, he simply gestured toward the small table in the corner of the Airstream, silently inviting her to take a seat.
"Can we talk?" she asked, her heart aching with the weight of the years that had passed since they had last spoken. "Please?"
He looked at her for a moment, his eyes betraying a hint of vulnerability before he nodded curtly and sat down himself. As the silence hung heavily between them, Ariel couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to break through her father's stubborn defenses – and if she could ever truly forgive him for the pain he had caused her and her siblings. But she had come this far, and she knew that she owed it to herself to try. With a deep breath, she prepared to lay her heart bare before the man who had once been her hero, hoping against hope that he might still be capable of change.
She glanced around the cramped Airstream, taking in the piles of books and the faint scent of woodsmoke that lingered in the air. It was worlds away from the bustling kitchen and guest rooms she was used to, and yet, it felt strangely familiar – a remnant of the life her father had once shared with them before he disappeared.
"Look, Dad," she began, her voice wavering with vulnerability, "I didn't just come here to dredge up the past. There's... there's something else I need to ask you."
Lee raised an eyebrow, his weathered face betraying nothing but mild curiosity. Ariel took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she forced the words out.
"Will you come to my wedding?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him for some sign of emotion. "Miles and I are getting married, and... I want you to be there."
For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of pain cross her father's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, and fixed her with a cool, indifferent stare.
"Your wedding?" he repeated, the first words he’d spoken, his tone dismissive. "I don't see why you'd want me there after all these years."
Ariel's hands tightened into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She had come here hoping for a chance at reconciliation, and yet, her father seemed determined to push her away.
"Because you're my father," she said quietly, her voice trembling with frustration. "And despite everything, I still care about you. I thought... I thought maybe you'd want to be a part of my life again."
Lee's gaze shifted away from her, his eyes settling on a faded photograph that hung on the wall – a snapshot of a time when they had been a family, before everything had fallen apart. She hadn’t noticed it on her last visit. Had he hung it since?
Lee took a deep breath, and when he spoke, there was something in his voice that made Ariel's heart ache with sadness.
"Trust me, Ariel," he said softly, "it's best for everyone if I stay away."
Ariel's face fell, her hurt and disappointment evident as she struggled to comprehend her dad's refusal. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she refused to let them fall. She needed to be strong. But was it fair that she had needed to be strong for years because this man had abandoned their family?
"Is that really what you believe?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "That we're better off without you? Or do you just not want to face what you did? You’re sure avoiding telling me any details—don’t you think you owe us all an explanation?"
Her father's jaw clenched, and for a moment, Ariel thought she saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. But then he looked away, his expression stony and unyielding.
"Things have been this way for a long time, Ariel," he said, his voice cold and distant. "I left because I thought it was what was best for all of us. And nothing has changed."
"Best for who, Dad?" Ariel demanded, her anger flaring. "You didn't just abandon me – you abandoned Charlene and Oliver! Mom, Linda, they all needed you just as much as I did, and you turned your back on all of us! Why?"
"Enough!" Lee snapped, his facade cracking as his own frustration bubbled to the surface. "You don't know what it was like for me, Ariel! The guilt, the shame... I couldn't bear the judgment anymore. I had to leave."
His confession hung heavy in the air between them, and for a moment, neither one spoke. Ariel stared at her father, struggling to reconcile the man before her with the father she had once known and loved. It was clear that his reasons for leaving were rooted in his own pain and guilt, but that knowledge did little to ease her own hurt.
"Maybe you're right, Dad," she said finally, her voice thick with emotion. "Maybe I don't understand why you left. And maybe you’ll never explain. But I do know that we still need you – I still need you. And I'm asking you, as your daughter, to be a part of my life again. To come to my wedding and to try to make things right."
She drew a wedding invitation out of her purse and set it on the couch. Her father's eyes met hers, and for a moment, Ariel dared to hope that he would change his mind. But then he shook his head, a bitter smile twisting his lips.
"I'm sorry, Ariel," he said softly. "But I can't."
The silence between them stretched, the tension palpable as unspoken emotions simmered beneath the surface.
"Family doesn't just disappear when things get tough, Dad," Ariel said, her voice trembling. "We're supposed to be there for each other. Isn't that worth trying again?"
Lee hesitated, his eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. Ariel could see him wrestling with his thoughts, but his stubbornness seemed to prevail.
"Sometimes it's better to let go than to hold on to something that can't be fixed," he replied quietly, the pain evident in his voice.
She lifted her chin. "Or is it just easier for you to walk away than to face your own mistakes?"
