Chapter 40: Chapter 40
I spring to my feet and immediately set Landon down on the chair before regaining my standing position. "Are you serious?" This is a question that I ask with my eyes starting to well up. I can't even begin to express how happy I am, yet at the same time, I have no idea what to make of this. It's been so long since I've experienced these emotions that I can't even remember the last time they came over me. If they ever did.
"Yeah, I am." "I'm sorry," she continues, grinning through the tears that are streaming down her face.
I hear a lot of people praising one another and clapping their hands, in addition to a few other things, but all that I can think about is the beautiful woman who is standing in front of me. The transformation from a pleased to a sad countenance is so palpable that I can feel it happening to my face.
"What exactly is it that's bothering you?" Alyanna expresses her concern by asking the question. "Are you certain that you do not wish to have any more children?" She continues her line of questioning because she is concerned.
"Oh, no, no, no. Not even close to being the problem. Do not be concerned; the following day, I will explain everything to you in greater detail. I don't care what the future holds; I'm going to treasure every moment I have with this child." I think it would be appropriate to start by giving her a quick kiss on the head, and then to follow that up by enveloping her in a bear hug.
The following morning, I slept in later than usual and didn't get up until much later. When I say that it's late, I mean that it's extremely late. I woke up past noon. After Chris, Maddy, Liz, and the others had checked out of their hotel and returned home, Charlie and Abby put Lexi to bed upstairs, and then they joined the rest of us downstairs for a game of cards. I don't remember exactly what time it was, but it was probably somewhere around two in the morning when I was finally able to fall asleep. Alyanna had already left a few minutes before that point. After transporting Lexi to their vehicle and bringing her inside, Charlie and Abby carried her throughout the house.
After getting up and getting dressed, I will then proceed downstairs to the basement. "I smell leftovers." As I rounded the corner, I noticed that my father was seated in the chair that was the furthest away from the window in the room. He was surrounded by his two grandchildren, who were standing on either side of him while he was eating from the plate that was in front of him.
As he rises to his feet, he addresses Mark with a greeting, "Hello, Mark."
"Daddy!" Both Milly and Landon said that, as they were leaving my side, they rushed over to hug my legs before continuing on.
At this very moment, I am completely unsure of the viewpoint that I should adopt. All of the memories of him not being very understanding about various aspects of the wedding, as well as the memories of him missing both my birthday and the day that Alyanna was given the diagnosis that she had cancer; all of these memories stand out to me. Every instance in which he was abusive to me and did not treat me as a son in any way that was meaningful to him Something severed completely in its entirety at that very instant.
"Get out." I say. If you had asked Mark that question when he was 28 years old, I seriously doubt that he would have responded in the affirmative. At this juncture in my life, I do not feel the need to pay a visit to my dad, and that is something I can say with absolute certainty.
The next thing he does is ask, "What?"
"Mark, what exactly is it that's bothering you?" Alyanna asks, grabbing Landon.
"Children, I would be grateful if you could accompany your mother to the living room." I say not looking away from my dad.
They are going their separate ways.
What's the deal with this, anyway? My dad asks.
"What brings you to this part of the world in the first place?" I enquire in a dispassionate manner.
What exactly do you mean by that question? He asks.
"Why are you at my house, eating my leftovers, and why are you here?" "Why are you at my house?" I ask this question with my teeth clenched tightly together.
"He responded to my call for assistance and arrived promptly." As Alyanna enters the room, she announces her statement.
"Yes, she informed me via SMS that you wanted me to be there," the respondent said. "You wanted me to be there." He explains.
"But I don't." As I say this, I am fighting back the urge to let a single tear fall down my cheek.
"What exactly is it that's bothering you?" Alyanna is asking me this while she has a tight grip on my arm.
It's time for you to leave, I tell my father. It's important that I speak with Alyanna, so let's have a chat. I say turning around. He started to say, "I'll just go up with," but I cut him off in the middle of his sentence.
"No! I yell it as loudly and forcefully as I can muster, "Get out of my house!"
"Alright," he mutters to himself repeatedly. "Alright."
"Exactly how is that supposed to benefit anything?" Alyanna has a question regarding the timing of the door's closure. "I got the feeling that you and your father had a good relationship," you said. "I hope that's the case." As she takes a seat, she enquires about something before continuing.
"I don't remember anything like that ever happening." I move on before she has a chance to respond to what I have to say. "I am completely unable to recall anything at all. Nothing comes to mind. The arrival of our children, the birth of Lexi, the announcement that you are pregnant, the wedding of Maddy and your father, and the wedding of Charlie and Abby are all major life events that have taken place recently. I start to pace. "Neither the first time that I told you that I loved you nor the first pregnancy test that the two of us took together are things that come to mind immediately. Even the fact that you turned 19 is completely lost on me; I have no recollection of it." I distinctly remember stopping what I was doing and looking Alyanna in the eyes while she had tears in her eyes.
"Can you be more specific about that which you remember?" Alyanna asks the question, exhibiting a trace of trembling in her voice.
"Our wedding is ingrained in my mind as a happy and joyful occasion." I say continuing to pace.
"It makes me very happy to learn that you remember what turned out to be one of the happiest days of my entire life," the man said. She asserts that she is going to approach me and put an end to what I'm doing by physically stopping me. "Anything else? More current. What is the most recent thing that springs to your mind at the moment?" She inquires while fixing her gaze squarely on both of my eyes.
"The ones I remember most clearly were the boring meetings. In addition to getting into a vehicle while dressed in a business suit." I cut my distance from her and get some distance between us while I wrack my brain for any additional information I can find. " As soon as the signal turned green, I accelerated as quickly as I could, and then suddenly everything became pitch black. " I execute a sharp reversal of course and head in the opposite direction. You may find yourself saying something along the lines of, "That's the last thing I can remember before I got home on Wednesday." Following that, I came to an important realization. "Wednesday."
"Mark, what exactly is it that's bothering you?" Alyanna inquires while demonstrating an expression of concern for the situation.
"That particular occurrence took place on Wednesday of that week. Back then, as it is now, the day before Thanksgiving was getting closer and closer." It would appear that my mind is playing tricks on me at the moment.
Alyanna catches my attention by saying "Mark," and I immediately pay attention. "Everything that happened occurred over a decade and a half ago. You were a participant in a car crash that occurred earlier." The first thing she does is offer an explanation for why. Her tone makes it clear that she is experiencing some level of nervousness. Your doctor told you after the accident, "The only serious injury you had was a fractured leg," and this was the only injury you sustained. She says that her tears were freely flowing down her cheek as she spoke about them.
"But after that, I don't remember anything," she said. "After that, I don't remember anything." I can't help but mutter something to myself as I look into her eyes more intently.
"Don't be concerned, I'll be able to lend you a hand," the speaker said. While she does so, she says this to me while firmly grasping both of my hands. "I can get you help."
"Oh, no, no. You still haven't grasped the fact that I don't need assistance of that kind in any way, shape, or form. I just need-" I severed my connections with previous versions of myself. "Of course." After that, I head in the direction of the primary entrance of the building.
"Mark, what are your travel plans for the upcoming weekend?" Alyanna asks this question as she closes in on me and makes an effort to put a stop to my forward movement.
"I'm heading in the opposite direction." I would recommend pausing right in front of where you enter the building.
What exactly do you mean by that question? She inquires while still keeping her distance from me and standing behind me.
I finish the kiss by releasing her completely and turning my back on her. "Don't ever forget how much I adore you," the other person said. After that, I break into a hasty trot and make my way back to the room I was staying in. After pushing it open, I leave the space and then I shut the door that was behind me. Everything starts out white and then transforms into black at some point.