Behind the Family: Regretful Father and Love

Early in the morning, my mother and I were woken up by a knock on the door.

I yawned and went to open the door. When I saw the person standing outside the door, I was stunned.

My father, Yoel, was sitting in a wheelchair, looking at me in surprise. He said in a cheerful tone, "Xavier, I miss you!"

He was old and his face was full of wrinkles. Only his narrow and long eyes still revealed the same scheming and ruthlessness as before.

I felt nauseous.

He and my mother had divorced for 15 years. During these 15 years, he had not given me a penny, nor come to see me once, as if he were dead. There was no news about him at all. Who was he putting on an act for at this point?

"Yoel, don't be sad. You see your daughter this time!" The girl in blue sportswear next to him quickly comforted him.

"You must be Xavier. I'm Jasmin Zimmerman, a family adviser of Station A. Your father entrusted me to mediate your family conflict. I've learned about his situation. I think even though he was wrong in the past, it has been over a long time ago. Besides, he’s in poor health now. Without your care, he can’t survive!"

"You are his closest people in the world!"

Jasmin said word by word, aggressive. I had no chance to talk her back. In her eyes, I abandoned my father, which made me a cruel and ungrateful person.

I saw that Yoel pretended to wipe his tears behind her, but a smug smile appeared on his face.

He seemed to be sure to convince me.

I saw the purpose of their visit.

I suddenly found it a little absurd.

Yoel knew that if he came alone, I wouldn't be nice to him, so he called the TV station's mediator to force me to bow my head!

But why should we take care of him?

Should I thank him for causing my mother’s miscarriage or selling me for money?

He had never done what a father should do, and he wanted me to take care of him?

"Does he deserve it?"

"Xavier, who's there?" As soon as my mother walked to the door, she was stunned.

When Yoel saw my mother, his eyes suddenly lit up. He wriggled his plump body and waved to her, "Janetta, I'm back!"

My mother’s face suddenly turned pale. She widened her eyes and looked out of him in horror, but her body couldn't help trembling.

It wasn’t easy for her to get rid of this nightmare for more than ten years, but he was again! How could she not be afraid?

I supported my mother and said to them, "Fuck off."

Yoel’s face darkened. I recalled how he had hit me with a belt, after getting drunk more than a decade ago.

This was his true color. Sure enough, he hadn't changed at all!

"Miss Johnson, after all, he is your father. How can you say that to him? He will be disappointed!" Standing next to Yoel, Jasmin frowned and was slightly angry.

Oh, I recognized her. She was a top-notch family mediator at Station A. She could solve any problem. So she became a top-notch mediator at such a young age.

"But why should an outsider like her interfere in our family's affairs?"

Who does she think she is?

Has she ever experienced my childhood nightmare?”