One Goodbye Is Enough

“Uncle Parker, Mommy and I are leaving now.”

All the sadness in the world was lodged in my chest at that moment.

As I turned around, Henry suddenly grabbed my arm.

…

“What did Lyle just say?”

Henry looked at our son in shock as though he wanted to confirm something.

Was it because the child he always pushed away had learned to distance himself?

I forced a smile, feeling a sharp sting of irony.

“He didn’t say anything, Mr. Parker. The meeting is about to start.”

I pulled my arm away from his and led my son to the seats up front.

Even as I sat down, I could still feel the burning gaze from behind.

However, no matter how hot that gaze was, it could not warm my heart.

The meeting started on time.

I held my son close, wishing for the first time that the teacher's voice would be sterner.

I wanted it to drown out the intimate conversation between the family of three behind us.

As expected, the teacher called Lyle up. They announced that he had been chosen as the class monitor for this semester and asked him to give a speech.

However, he refused.

He did not want to get up, nor did he want to speak.

I knew why. He did not want to see Henry sitting with that child.

He did not want to admit that his father would rather attend a meeting with someone else’s child.

He did not want to let the other child proudly call him Daddy.

Afterward, I took my son to the teacher’s office to handle his withdrawal paperwork.

When we stepped out of the school gates, we ran into Henry waiting for someone.

He was standing on the side of the road, holding a stick of cotton candy. He looked like he had been waiting for a while.

“Why did you take so long to come out? Let’s go home together.”

As he said this, he handed the cotton candy to my son.

Going home together.

Once, this was what my son and I had looked forward to the most.

Now, it just felt like a cruel joke.

Lyle reached out and took the cotton candy from Henry’s hand. The frown he had worn all night finally softened into a smile.

My heart softened when I saw his hopeful eyes, and I was about to agree, but then I heard Henry speak.

“Evelyn’s kid is a transfer student, so he couldn’t compete for the class monitor position.

“How about you ask your son to talk to the teacher? Maybe he could give up the position of class monitor this time and let Ethan have the chance instead.”

The casual remark made both me and my son cold inside.

Sure enough, everything came with a hidden price tag with Henry.

Even a stick of cotton candy.

“Okay, Uncle Parker.”

It was my son's voice.

With red-rimmed eyes, he put the cotton candy into his mouth.

Henry’s expression softened slightly, but just as he was about to reach out to hold my son’s hand, his phone rang.

It was Evelyn.

“Henry, Ethan isn’t feeling well. Can you come over now?”

Henry’s face changed, and he immediately turned and got into his car.

As he closed the door, my son suddenly shouted loud enough for him to hear, “Daddy!”

Henry froze for a moment, sticking his head out and meeting my son’s red-rimmed eyes.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“Drive safe.”

This time, he did not correct Lyle.

However, that was the last time my son would ever call him Daddy.

That night, my son and I packed our bags and booked tickets to leave the country.

We did not mention Henry again. The living room would no longer have a light left on all night, with two hopeful people waiting for him.

The next morning, we headed to the airport with our bags in tow to check in.

Before turning my phone off, I sent Henry one last message.

[Be happy.]

The next moment, our chat, which had been barren for so long, was filled with furious messages.