Family Ties

Finish That Thought #46 (Judge's Comments)
Prompt: If my dad was willing to forget the last few seconds of his life, well then, so was I.
Special Challenge: Include the words: fate, top, trace


If my dad was willing to forget the last few seconds of his life, well then, so was I. Then again, it would be unethical to. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back in the guest chair of my dad’s office, staring hard at the man whom I resembled in so many ways except for the essentials.

“You’ll have to pay me if you want that to stay forgotten,” I threatened. “I’m thinking nothing substantial, just enough so I can actually go to college.”

“Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is,” Dad sighed as he rubbed his temples.

“More difficult?” I scoffed. “You started the whole thing!”

“Howie-”

“It’s Jamison,” I interrupted.

“Jamison?”

“Yeah. Jamison. I can’t help being related to you, but after what you pulled, I’m dumping any other ties.”

He sighed again, suddenly appearing like an old, withered man rather than the strapping middle-aged man of 50 he was.

“I don’t blame you.” His defeated tone with a trace of regret unnerved me. “Just…please… forget it happened. For your sake. For your brothers’ sakes. For your mother’s sake.”

“Will she forget it happened?” I asked pointedly.

“Most likely not.”

“Will you act like it didn’t happen?”

“It wouldn’t be natural to,” he admitted.

“Then why should I?”

We had arrived at an impasse--- the first of many I was about to find out. It was the fate of every Jamison male to be stubborn, demanding, and poor at communicating. After a few silent moments of hard staring, Dad finally looked down at his hands in his lap and broke the tension.

“What are you going to do?”

I continued glaring at him while I mulled it over. Honestly, I hadn’t a clue what I should do. Dad and I had never been best friends. Granny used to tease I was his enemy from the womb. It wasn’t my fault really. He was the one who had named me after the family dog “on accident.” With five brothers to take advantage of that, well, it makes it hard to forgive a person and Dad was especially good at making himself unforgivable.

I never understood how an angel like my mother could have been persuaded to marry a scoundrel like my father. While she was blissfully ignorant of a lot of things he had gotten into, this big secret she deserved to know. She deserved the truth. My mind made up, I braced my hands against his desk and loomed over him.

“I’m going to my editor.”

Dad blanched. “You wouldn’t!”

“I’m a journalist. Reporting scandals is what we do.”

“Can’t you just forget-”

“You were locking lips with your secretary!” I bellowed, slamming the desk with my fist. “How can you ask me to forget that?”

Not bothering to wait for an answer, I whirled on my heel and marched out that door. I didn’t stop until I reached my own office.

“Hey boss, we finally have a top story for tomorrow.”