Chapter 104 New Trouble
“I’m really sorry about all of this,” Emily said, “especially my part in it.”
“You don’t have to be, really,” Byron said. His driving became less rough, although Emily could tell he was tense. “My dad is the one who decided to come back after these years, uninvited. I just don’t want to relive the old trauma...”
“Then don’t,” Emily said. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but try not look back at the past.”
Byron laughed with a touch of bitterness. “You’re right. I’m sure my father will just bring some new troubles into my life, so I can focus on present trauma instead.”
“You’re such a sweet ray of sunshine! How about we get some pizza?”
“Sure!” Byron agreed at once. He often enjoyed caviar wrapped in the finest crepes prepared by his personal chef or making his own gourmet creations such as eggplant lasagna or sauteed scallops. But once in a while he craved fast food burgers or a good old fashioned pepperoni pizza from some humble family restaurant. It might have been temporary insanity, but Emily could see where he was coming from.
“I know you’re trying to cheer me up,” he said as he parked the car outside the pizza place. “And it’s working.”
They decided to dine in since they were already dressed for dinner. The pizzas arrived quickly steaming with the aroma of cheese and oregano.
“There’s nothing like a good pizza,” Byron declared.
Seeing that he had somewhat cheered up, Emily dared to ask some questions she had been curious about for some time. She usually never brought his father into the conversation because of how Byron reacted.
“What happened ten years ago?” she asked. “Why didn’t you ever see your father after that?”
“He was just being his typical self,” Byron replied, “Pretending to be nice to us while wanting to borrow money from my mom. Finally, she gave him the money, but he invested it all in some stupid scheme his friend was running. It turned out to be a fraudulent company, and all the money was lost, or so he claims.”
“And he’s never paid her back?” Emily inquired. It did make Teddy sound less trustworthy despite his claims of being reformed.
Byron shrugged. “He tries. Once in a while he sends her a bit of money, but he’s never done very well financially from what I understand.”
“Poor Teddy...”
“He’s not poor, he’s just a loose cannon,” Byron said, “It’s his own fault he’s never been successful at anything.”
“Not everyone’s as talented as you,” Emily reminded him, “and as lucky. Think of those films you produced: you might have lost millions.”
“I’m lucky to have you in my life,” he said in his most seductive voice as he took her hand.
He came very close to distracting Emily from asking more questions, but his seductive charm would have to wait.
“Are you going to tell Sylvia that he’s in town?”
“I guess I’m going to have to,” Byron replied. “I’ll tell her tomorrow. I can’t deal with them both in one day.”
Emily could hardly grasp what he was going through. Her family had never been perfect, but she grew up in the reliable and secure environment of two parents who loved each other. She never knew what it was like to feel betrayed or abandoned by a father, but she imagined it must have been devastating.
She wondered if Byron would ever recover from that childhood trauma.
Sylvia came over right away when Byron called her the next morning to talk about his father.
“Of course, I already knew he was in town,” Sylvia said in a blase voice as she entered.
Byron was a little miffed. “You knew?”
“How do you think he found your house?” she said. “He contacted me first, asked me if he could talk to you. I said, proceed at your own risk.”
“I wish you hadn’t said anything,” Byron grumbled.
“But he is your father after all,” Sylvia objected, “You always have the option of shutting him out of your life forever, but I thought, why not give you a chance to see him again?”
“So he can mooch off me and disappear again?”
“I don’t know... maybe he has changed,” Sylvia said pensively.
“I’m gonna go... make some snacks,” Byron said, and stepped away into the kitchen in a huff.
Emily thought it was a good opportunity to learn something more about Byron’s mysterious father.
“Why is Byron so set against seeing his father?” she asked.
“Lots of reasons,” Sylvia said wearily. She sank down into the couch, while Emily sat nearby in an armchair and her dog Shandy jumped up into her lap. “Teddy was not an easy person to live with.”
“But Byron felt abandoned when he left,” Emily said, “Why doesn’t he want to try to reconnect?”
“Teddy is extremely unreliable,” Sylvia said, “He came from a reasonably wealthy family, but instead of wanting to continue in his father’s footsteps he ran away and joined the army. Then his father died and he inherited a small fortune, which he quickly squandered on gambling and booze. By the time I met him, he was working as a clerk and making a decent income. But then he got bored and started up one failing business after another.”
Emily was starting to get the picture of what a restless and crazy guy Teddy was. She could still sort of sympathize with him because a job as a clerk would be boring.
“When Byron was born, Teddy wasn’t always there for him,” Sylvia continued. “When he did show up and do some actual dad stuff, Byron thought he was the greatest dad in the world... But what with the drinking, he often failed to show up.”
“I’m really sorry,” Emily said. “Do you really think Teddy may have changed?”
“I don’t know. He often follows the same pattern, coming back, then disappearing again. He’s got a wife and kids in California, so he doesn’t need us." Emily had never seen Sylvia so fragile and uncertain. "I don't want Byron to get his hopes up only to be disappointed again. On the other hand, I think he needs his father. I don't know what the answer is.”
