Damaged Beyond Repair by Kashmira Kamat (KittyKash) (best short books to read TXT) 📗

Chapter 45

Rowan

   I maneuvered the Lexus into the empty parking lot. I noticed the street was lined up with a few more cars. I wondered if everyone was home for the weekend. Feeling a little more under the weather, I pushed the car into park and sat in the car for a while. I'd never been an overly social person, and I'd always tried to avoid the usual weekend meals in the family home, surrounded by all and under the watchful eye of my father. Today, I realized I wasn't going to get lucky. The first thing Sofia had taught me was to learn to blend with the society, to appear normal to everyone. The only thing that I wasn't.

   But, now, I wanted to try to become normal, for myself, for Minnie and Alana.

   "Daddy, aren't we going inside?" Minnie pulled me out of my thoughts.

    "Yeah. Let's go, sweetheart."

     I walked through the dimly lit foyer that was now decorated with a white plush carpet. A new white chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. There seemed to be a lot of décor changes in two years, Mom seemed to have replaced a tall statue with a giant flower vase. As I walked further, I noticed some picture frames hung against a far wall. It was a family picture from when my brother Drew was alive. There were few other ones with Minnie and me, and another one of our pictures from family vacations. They were all happy faces.

     Mom seemed to have spent hours digging up these pictures.

    Minnie was already running through the hallways to get to her room at the first floor.

   When I walked into the sitting area, I found my family lounging in. The laughter filled the entire house, echoing through the thin walls. They hadn't even noticed me walk in, my sister, Claire was the first to see me.

    "Rowan!" Claire placed her drinks on the coffee table and made her way towards me. She didn't even give me time to react as she pulled me in a bear hug. I think her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

   I patted her back. "It's good to see you too, Claire."

   She stepped back and frowned at me, wiping her eyes. "You were here four days ago, didn't you think it was important to inform us?"

   "I just needed time to sort out my mind. You know, it's been a rough two years..." I explained.

    Claire wasn't buying it. Her frown grew deeper. "We are a family, Rowan. What kind of a shit excuse is that?"

   "Give him some time to breathe, Claire. Rowan's been in the house just for a few minutes." That was my mother, she walked towards me and enveloped in a hug. "My baby, how are you?"

   I had to lean all the way and I still felt like a Leaning tower of Pisa. I felt a wave of nostalgia as the familiar scent of her perfume entered my nostrils. I had to try hard to control my man tears.

  Shit, somebody's gotta stop cutting those onions now.

   I heard sobs, and I realized my mom had started her water works. She was always the emotional one in the family. I remembered when she came to visit me at the rehab, she'd talked to me, opened her heart and told me that I'd done the right thing by signing the program. Mom always preferred staying out of my business, be it getting expelled from private schools, an early pregnancy of my ex-girlfriend or my addictions, but mostly after that incident during my teenage years when I pushed her off the stairs, although I spent an eternity apologizing, I knew that it wasn't enough. She never said a word, never tried to yelled at me for things I did, and it pissed me off.

  I never needed my mother to be scared of me. I wanted her to understand me, and love me for what I was, and today I somehow miraculously was getting that affection and love.

   Today seemed like a free hugs day.

    I realized I hadn't answered her question. "I'm fine, Mom. It's good to see you. I don't understand, why are there cars lined up outside?"

   "Family dinner, duh." Claire said, "And since you're here, we are gonna celebrate by cutting the cake."

    "You got a cake? Are you kidding me?" I chuckled. "What am I? A preschooler graduated to grade one?"

   I was again masking the sheer glee that was going to lite up my face.

  "You are out of that goddamn asylum..."

  "It's a rehab." I corrected her.

   "And you are an international model and that calls for a celebration. C'mon, we even have champagne." She said as she locked arms with me and dragged me towards the dining area.

*****

   I wouldn't have been surprised as much if a group of hungry bears were seated at our dining table, what was even more uncanny was my father and Dwight seated at the table talking casually as I walked in. My father avoided family dinner's like a plague, he only came in if he thought it was important.  Katelyn, Dwight's secretary and the woman he had been perusing appeared to be seated at the table too. She was a nice woman, and I knew that if they had any future together, she would keep our family together. 

   They stood up as I made my way towards them, Dwight slapped my back hard and my father settled with a handshake that squeezed the life out of my hand. "Welcome home, son."

  "Thanks, Dad." I said, genuinely touched that they were all making an effort of making me feel at home.

  Katelyn shook hands with me. "It's great to have you back, Rowan."

"Thanks."

  "Bring in the cake, Molly!" Claire called out to the cook.

      Molly, our oldest cook in the house wheeled in the trolley that now towered a big ass white cake that was surrounded by what seemed like chocolate cake pops. Welcome Home Rowan was iced in big letters on the cake.

   "You didn't have to do all this, guys." I whispered.

   "Where's the champagne?"  Dwight asked.

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