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His Greatest Achievement

'You need to get over it.'


'Get over it? How is that in any way helpful?'


'Well, it’s not healthy moping around, you need to move on. Get up and go outside. Meet someone. Write a book – I don’t care.'


'Great, yeah. I’ll write a book. And in it will be this idiot parent who hasn’t got a clue about emotion because they’ve never aimed to achieve anything in their life, so they give shit life advice like “get over it”.'


Through the windows the sound of a band sound checking in the local pub cut through the air.


'Well, nice to know that’s what you think of me and my life. I’ve been very successful I’ll have you know.'

'You’re right Dad, you have always wanted to work as a sales rep for N Power. Well done. I’m proud of you.'


'No you idiot. You.'


James looked at the floor as he knew what was coming.


'You’re my greatest achievement. And I think you’ve turned out rather well.'


James had nothing to say. He didn’t believe that having kids and not raising them properly could be classed as ambition or success attributed to his dad. He believed that he had become the person he was today because of what he had done in life – himself – without help or guidance from those that should have provided it. He just wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say it.

Ah fuck it, why not.


'Well done you. I am who I am because of me, not you. You had a kid, that’s all. I’ve seen 15-year-old idiots with prams – not much of a high level achievement, is it? If you had raised me, been there for me, helped me, supported me---'


'I have supported you. I keep telling people how proud of you I am.'


'That’s not supporting me, that’s just knowing someone you can show off about.'


'I left you to it. I let you do what you wanted.'


'So you think abdicating your responsibilities as a parent is good parenting? And you put that down to giving me freedom? Super, well done. Well done for justifying it to yourself.'


The silence in the air hung until the band stopped playing. It was as if they had reached a new silence. Quiet. Nothing. And that’s when James realised, that’s just how he felt. Nothing.


'Thanks again for being there when I needed it most. You really are such a great parent. Sorry for coming.'


The door slammed and Gary stood in that same spot, eyes stinging, heart heavy – heart really heavy actually.


As James walked down the street to his car, he didn’t hear the thud on the floor. It would be the next day that he would realise that the last thing he ever said to his dad was “Sorry for coming”.

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