Page 77 of Afterglow
Jazmine and I are sitting in my lounge room when we hear a knock. I head for the door, the knots tightening in my stomach. “Dad, come in.”
“Theo,” he says, nodding his head.
I guide him over to the couch and the single word my dad uttered smashes into me. Other people wouldn’t read into their parents calling their child a nickname but I do. He hasn’t called me Theo since my mum passed away.
Maybe he really is sorry.
The silence is awkward, the three of us unsure what to say. Jazmine steps in, “Mr Knight, I wanted to apologise—”
“No,” my father interrupts. “That’s not necessary, you said what I needed to hear.”
I see him swallow the lump in his throat. I never thought I would see the day: Matthew Knight is nervous.
“I’m here to apologise to you, Theo. I’ve been a shit father,”
My eyes widened at his brutal honesty. What the fuck? I never thought I would hear those words fall from his mouth. Disbelief is plastered across my face as he continues:
“When Vivian died, I was a complete mess. I might not have shown it but I was. I barely paid any attention to you and I realise that now. Football isn’t everything, I’ve thought about our minimal interactions since you moved to Lakewood three years ago and all I asked about was football.
“You didn’t and don’t deserve that. I’m sorry. And I want you to know, I am proud of everything you’ve done. If you decide not to go pro, I won’t say anything. It should have always been your decision,”
Tears well in my eyes and the bundles of nerves in my stomach loosen. This is everything I’ve ever wanted him to say. “I forgive you, dad. There is still a long way to go to fix our relationship, but if you want to put in the effort I will too.”
He smiles, turning to Jazmine. “I’m sorry to you as well Jazmine. I snapped at you and had the worst first impression. So, I’d love if we could start again,”
I look down at Jaz, who has the biggest smile on her lips. “I’d love that Mr Knight,”
“Please, call me Matthew.” They both smile at each other. “So, how long have you been dating? How did it start?”
Jazmine and I share a look, before bursting into laughter. My dad tilts his head, his eyebrows forming aV out of confusion. “It’s a long story, dad. But basically, Jazmine was unable to resist my charms.”
She pushes my shoulder, glaring at me. “That is not what happened, I actually extremely disliked your son after I lost a bet to him. But this year we were paired together for a research project in one of our classes and I was forced to realise that maybe Theo is alright,”
My dad barks out a laugh, shaking his head. He asks Jazmine about her future career and she beams. Explaining every detail with passion and excitement. I watch in awe.
Hearing my dad say he doesn’t care if I decide to declare for the draft or not is like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
This is my chance to finally do something for myself. The fear of disappointing my dad and the family legacy is no longer dragging me to rock bottom.
“What are the two of you doing later?” my dad asks.
“Not too sure, we are going to get dinner to celebrate Princess’ internship,” I say. My eyes expanded when I realised I used Jazmine’s nickname, while my dad burst into laughter.
Jazmine looks between him and me. “What’s so funny?” she asks.
A smirk appeared on dad’s lips. Shit. “Every Friday night, Theodore and his mother would watchAladdin,at his request of course. I never wanted to interrupt them; it was always just their thing. But once I overheard Theo say: "Mum, one day I’m going to find my own Jazmine. She is going to be the prettiest princess ever.”
Blood rushes to my cheeks, falling down my neck. A devious smile could be found on Jazmine's face. She will never let me live this down. “Is that so?”
“Okay, dad. It’s time to go,” I escort him out before he can tell any more embarrassing stories.
Jazmine and him laugh at me. “It was nice to see you again, Jazmine. Theo, I’ll talk to you later. You’ve got one, maybe two more games left in the season, do you want me to come?”
My heart melts. He is asking to come. Not just inviting himself. This is everything I have ever wanted.
“Yeah, that would be great. And we will have two games,” The second game is only if we make the championship, but I have faith in our team.
“That’s what I like to hear,”
