Work Text:
May 8th, 2015 - Washington County, Utah; Library - 9:32am
It was a cloudy day and Michael had decided to take his son; Gregory to the library to borrow out some books to read to him over the weekend. His son loved to read or at least be read to. So he had decided to borrow a few books out. The two of them didn’t go to the library often, but they went when either he or Gregory wanted to read something or watch a movie that wasn’t available on the streaming service they used.
Michael wandered down the kids book section with Gregory by his side. The boy instantly saw something that caught his eye and grabbed it, turning to face his Father with his large brown eyes.
“Narnia, huh? That’s a classic. Is that because of the movies?” Michael asked his son.
The boy nodded; a huge smile on his face and Michael smiled back.
“I haven’t read the books myself, so we’ll be able to it together.” Michael ruffled his son’s hair and the boy laughed.
Michael took the book from his son’s hands before they continued to wander around to look for any others. Gregory seemed to be disinterested in any other books for the moment, so the man went over to the librarian and borrowed the collection of seven stories out with his library card. The two then departed from the library, heading into the carpark as Michael tried to find his keys his son flipped through the book; looking at all the sketches within it in awe.
As the two arrived at the purple vehicle a voice called out to the man, making him frown and turn his head towards it.
“William, is that you?” The voice came from a woman with greying orange hair and green eyes. She wore a simple loose-fitting blouse with a skirt just below the knees.
Michael’s frown deepened as the name caused his blood to boil.
He knew he looked similar to his Father, but his Father would be looking far older than him if he was still around.
He just never understood this which was why he tried to look as unkempt as possible as opposed to how his Father had usually presented himself.
“No, I’m not,” he responded back, bluntly, wanting this conversation to be over and done with.
“I’m terribly sorry about that,” the woman said, looking nervous about apologising. Her eyes seemed to scan him which made Michael uncomfortable.
His own eyes glanced over her, trying to figure out why she thought he was his Father. People in Hurricane used to think that, but once they heard that William had gone missing they stopped most likely to avoid Michael’s ire.
Or they honestly felt sorry for him.
He didn’t know.
On closer inspection this woman looked a lot like his sister. If his sister had ever grown into adulthood that is.
Michael’s eyes widened and he took a step back, hitting the car in the process. It was as if a lightbulb had come on in his head once his sister popped into his head. This woman looked so much like his sister just like how he looked his Father.
It couldn’t be…
“You look awfully familiar…” the woman said, frowning in confusion. “Do I know you?”
Michael coughed into his arm, looking away from her. “No, I don’t believe you do.” Michael opened the back of the car for his son and once the boy was inside he closed it for him. “You left before you could.”
The woman’s eyes widened as his words finally made their rounds around her head. Her brain finally catching up and she gasped. “M…Michael…?”
The man swallowed, gripping his keys tight as used his other hand to hold the car door. He didn’t answer her, but that was all the answer she needed to know that this was her son.
Her son was now a fully grown adult with what looked to be a child of his own.
She didn’t know this.
She didn’t realise it had been so long since she had…
“H…How are things…?” She asked him which did not help his rising anger.
She had left him and his siblings with a neglectful Father.
She never came back for even a visit.
She just left them.
She knew how bad William was and left the three of them with him.
The absolute rage he felt for his Mother; who knew his Father was a terrible person yet left anyway.
He didn’t know where she had been these last thirty-six years.
She didn’t know about what had transpired since she had left.
So she didn’t know about William.
She didn’t about him.
She didn’t know … about his siblings…
How could she all of a sudden come back into his life and ask, “how are things?” so casually when she’s been gone for half of it?
It just filled him with so much anger and he hated it.
This type of anger was only reserved for one person and he wanted to keep it reserved for that old man.
No matter how much he was upset at his Mother he would try and talk this out like the rational adult he was.
“You … do not get to ask me that…” Michael growled out at her. “You have no clue what’s happened the last thirty odd years.”
She flinched at his accusation and looked away from him. “I do not and I apologise for leaving when I did. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see you again…”
“If you had that thought in mind then why did you come back?” She turned back to face him and noticed how her son was finally facing her. His expression unreadable yet his eyes held a deep pain.
“I wanted to relive some old memories by coming back to Utah. I didn’t think I would run into you, Michael.”
Michael folded his arms and looked away once more; a scowl forming itself on his face.
“Sure, you didn’t.”
“Honest, I didn’t.”
Why was he getting such an attitude?
What happened to him talking this out like an adult would?
He had to be reasonable here and yet he wasn’t.
“Just like how you didn’t know you would be walking out on my life when I was nine?” Michael growled out, turning his head to glare at his Mother. “How after you left I had to pick up the slack — at fucking nine.”
He had only been nine — still a child when she had left.
His Father; who was too busy with work to even bother with them made it that he had to step up.
He had to take care of both himself and his siblings.
It was why he knew how to cook and do chores on the occasion.
But then Elizabeth … and it was like something in him just snapped and he started lashing out at everyone, but most of all … his brother…
His Mother looked astonished at the sudden burst of anger in his tone, but tried to shrug it off. “Michael, I didn’t leave you three on my terms. I wanted to stay, but William—“
“Don’t give me that. If you knew William was that messed up you would’ve taken us with you!” Michael exclaimed, brushing his fingers through his hair to calm himself down.
His Mother looked downright distraught at this accusation.
“William, was manipulative, but never abusive. I understand I should’ve taken you three with me. I’ve regretted that decision and—”
“Why didn’t you come back then?” Michael asked his Mother causing her to freeze in shock.
He repeated his question so that she understood the situation concerning what he meant.
They had been left in a home with hardly any parental love.
The only parental figure they had that cared about them was Henry Emily.
“I didn’t want to come into contact with William and if I took any of you illegally I’d be taken to court which I wanted to avoid…”
Michael narrowed his eyes, not buying the excuse. “So, you couldn’t be bothered to come back for your own children from an abusive home?”
“No, I…”
Michael lifted up his hand and shook his head. “I’ve heard enough. I can’t stand looking at you any longer.” He turned back around to face his car once more, hoping his Mother would take that as a notion to leave.
It wasn’t just the fact of looking at her made him simmer with anger, but also the fact that both her and Elizabeth looked so much alike.
It was uncanny.
Now he knew what people meant when they said that he looked like his Father.
Elizabeth looked just like their Mother…
She let out a light gasp before saying something that struck a cord in Michael. “You sound just like your Father, you know that?”
Michael froze, standing in front of his car door with wide eyes and staring.
He didn’t sound like William.
He was nothing like him.
Was he?
He at least felt guilty for what he did while William felt nothing.
How could his Mother say that to him?
Michael took in a shaky breath before letting it out. “You know … I’m actually the last Afton alive a part from my son.”
She didn’t need to know that he was a corpse, but just letting her know this much let her know what happened to his siblings.
“W…What?” She covered her mouth in shock. “Evan and Elizabeth … what happened to them?”
“Now you show you care.” Michael rolled his eyes. “Where was that motherly love when we needed it?”
She shrunk in on herself and to her it really felt like she was once again having a conversation or one-sided argument with William. However it wasn’t William … this was her son; who looked almost identical to his Father a part from keeping his hair shoulder-length and having a bit of stubble. William was always clean-shaven and had his hair neatly trimmed above the collar.
Was her son really insinuating that her other two children were dead?
If that was the case then what kind of Mother was she?
She left them and didn’t even know that two of them had died.
No wonder Michael was so angry not just because of the abandonment, but also seeing the naivety of his Mother.
“Dad, can we go yet?” Gregory’s voice came from the backseat as he’d opened the door for some air.
Michael turned to face his son with a smile on his face. “In a minute, Greg. We’ll head home, okay.”
The boy nodded his head before his eyes latched onto the woman nearby. “Who is she?”
“I’m—”
“She’s nobody. Just a stranger. Remember what I taught you on that, okay,” Michael told his son, a sudden serious tone to his voice.
“Then how come you can talk to her?” Gregory asked, curiosity in his voice.
“Because I can.”
That didn’t suffice as an answer for the boy as he puffed up his cheeks, but he went back into the car and continued flipping through the book they had borrowed.
“He seems like a sweet kid…” His Mother mumbled out.
Michael turned his head to face her before looking away once more. “He is…”
“He looks just like you…”
Michael grit his teeth and his keys tight in his hand. “Stop…”
“What?”
“Stop acting like you care. You left and that was that. I didn’t need to think of the why, but I knew I was angry. Now you’re back and I’m still so, so pissed, but…” Michael swallowed, trying to hold back tears. “…now I don’t know what to think…”
“I know an apology won’t fix things between us…”
He knew that.
He was the best person to know an apology wouldn’t fix a lot of things.
But they were always a good start.
Most times.
“…however if you want to continue as if we never saw each other I’m fine with that.” He turned his head to face her, staring in surprise. Until she lifted her arms up and smiled at him. “But if you want a hug I’m fine with that too.”
Michael blinked before turning his head away in embarrassment. “I’d rather not.”
“That’s fine.” She allowed her arms to fall down by her sides and give him a small smile. “May I see you again sometime? Your son as well.”
Michael kept his head turned away, shaking his head as a small laugh left his mouth. He turned his head to face his Mother, giving her a glare. “You really expect me to want to see you again after this and allow my son to see you?”
“He’s my grandson…” she sounded unsure of how to talk to her son, but it seemed Michael had so much pent-up anger against her he was ready to say anything.
“So you leave me and my siblings for three decades and now that I have a kid you want back in my life?” Michael growled out at her, eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you deserve to get to know my son. You never stayed to know me or Evan or Liz. Why should I let you get to know my son?”
His Mother looked taken aback at what her son had just said to her.
Why would he say that to her?
She knew that she had walked out on him and his siblings, but she didn’t think she’d get such hostility and resentful from her son.
“Michael, I…”
“I don’t want to hear it anymore.” He held up a hand to stop her from trying to talk him down any longer. “I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to see you again, Claire.”
That was like whiplash.
Michael had called her by her name not ‘Mum’ or ‘Mother’.
It finally hit her that her son really didn’t care for her.
He had lived almost his whole life without her, so why should he care about her?
“You left then everything just…” he grabbed his head, pulling his hair. “…I lost Liz, then Ev and then Father left. Now you want back in my life. I’m sorry, but if this was two decades earlier I would’ve been glad you came back, but…” he shook his head. “…now the only family I have is Uncle Henry and my son.”
Michael opened the door to hop into the drivers seat of the car. He closed the door before winding down his window and giving his Mother a look.
“I hope you can think about everything I’ve said to you.”
“Can I at least know my grandson’s name?”
Michael narrowed his eyes at his Mother once she asked that question. “You don’t even deserve that much.”
He rolled the window back up, watching her expression change to gobsmacked. He started up his car before backing out of the library carpark and driving out into the main road. He drove down the street, rounding a corner until he came to a side-street and parked. Once Michael set the car in park he placed his head on the steering wheel and let out one big groan. He punched the dashboard, feeling the wetness of tears on the edge of his eyes.
Gregory watched his Dad from the back of the car with concern in his wide brown eyes. “Dad, are you okay?”
“I…I’m fine, Greg…” he replied to his son with a shaken up tone.
“Who was that lady?”
Michael sniffed, lifting his head up off of the steering wheel and wiped his eyes. He looked up at the rearview mirror and gave his son a watery smile. “No one, Greg. She’s no one.”
He started up the car again and started the drive back to their apartment. All the while trying his hardest to forget the most recent event of meeting his Mother.
It was something he hadn’t wanted.
Yet it had happened.
Gregory didn’t need to know who she was.
If she had decided not to leave then he would have been completely fine with Gregory having a grandparent. But it seemed like both his parents were unfit to be good grandparents.
His Father was a serial child murderer and his Mother had abandoned the family early in his childhood.
But she had left.
His Father was ‘dead’, but his Mother was still alive yet he couldn’t trust her with his son. If she couldn’t be there for her own kids then why should he let her see his?
He really wished he could make amends with his Mother, but he couldn’t get rid of this overwhelming resentment inside of him. She had missed so much of his life. She had missed the deaths of Elizabeth and Evan; their funerals. The news surrounding his Father and the restaurants as well.
If only she had stayed maybe … they could have been happy.
If only she had stayed then maybe he would have let her be in his life and Gregory’s.
It was all ‘if only’s’.
Maybe he could find it in himself to forgive her in a year or more, but right now after three decades he just couldn’t.
He wanted to, but at the same time he couldn’t, especially for how long she was gone.
It was something he just had to work out on his own, but right now his son was more important.