Samson's Lovely Mortal
Page 103
“My father?” Delilah gasped. Were they intending to hurt him? She pushed the thought away instantly. After her conversation with Amaury she had no reason to believe that anybody would want to hurt her or her family. “What are you trying to do to him?”
“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Sheridan. You have my and Samson’s word that your father is safe. We understand that he’s in the later stages of Alzheimer’s and doesn’t recognize you anymore. But there’s something you need to talk to him about, something you’ve been carrying with you for over twenty years. You need closure, and only your father can give you that.”
Delilah shook her head. She understood what he alluded to, but it didn’t matter. “There’ll never be closure. You said it yourself. My father doesn’t recognize me anymore. He doesn’t have any memories of what happened.”
“That’s not entirely true. He still has memories, they are just locked away.”
“Mr. Giles, I’m sorry that you’re wasting your time, but I can’t talk to my father anymore.”
“Please, hear me out. I can unlock his memories long enough to allow you to talk to him as if he was healthy again. It’ll give you the opportunity to say what you need to say to him.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not. Some of us have special gifts. This is mine. I’m happy to use it for this purpose. But you’ll only have a few minutes, before his mind will cloud again, so use the time wisely. Just tell him.”
Delilah swallowed hard. The camera tilted away from Gabriel to a chair. She recognized her father instantly. His stare was blank, his shoulders slumped. Tears formed in her eyes, seeing him like this. Nothing would bring him back. She could never ask him for forgiveness.
Gabriel stepped behind her father and held his hands several inches above the old man’s head. Gabriel’s eyes closed. A few seconds later her father’s eyes suddenly took on life, and he looked straight at the camera.
“Delilah!” her father exclaimed. “Sweetheart, it’s so nice to see you.”
“Daddy?” Her voice broke. He’d recognized her. After so many years, he finally knew her again.
“What’s wrong sweetheart? Why are you crying? Did somebody hurt you?” His voice was full of concern.
“No, Daddy, I’m just happy to see you.”
“So am I, so am I.” He gave her a ravishing smile, reminding her of how he’d always looked at her when she was a young child. “It’s been a while. Your mother and I miss you. You’re working too much, you know that?”
Delilah blinked. He didn’t know that her mother was dead. He had no memory of it. It made sense. Her mother had died when he’d already been afflicted with Alzheimer’s. There was no need for her to bring it up now. She didn’t want to cause him any undue pain.
“I know, Daddy. I’ll come and visit you and Mom the next free weekend I get. How is that?” she lied, unable to bring herself to tell him the truth.
“That sounds like a plan.”
Delilah cleared her throat. She was at a loss of how to approach him. Too many years she’d carried her guilt with her, and now that she had the opportunity to talk to her father about it, she was at a loss for words. There was no right way to start this conversation.
“Do you sometimes still think of our time in France?”
He smiled. “Many times, sweetheart.”
“Me too. I think of it a lot.”
“You were such a young child then, I’m surprised you remember much.” His voice was soft, but also laced with pain.
“I remember all of it from back then.”
He raised his hand to stop her. “Many things are best forgotten.”
“But how can I forget?”
“Only think of the good things, don’t dwell on the bad.”
She shook her head, too choked up to speak.
“Have I ever told you what a joy you were to your mother and me? I can still hear your laughter when I would push you on the swing, and you would demand to go higher and higher. You were such an adventurous little girl. So brave. Always so brave.” He gave her a big smile.
“I’m not always that.”
“In my eyes, you are.”
“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry!” Tears started forming in her eyes.
He furrowed his brows. “Sorry for what? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Peter,” she pressed out. “I should have done something. I ...” A single tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a hot trail on her skin.
“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Sheridan. You have my and Samson’s word that your father is safe. We understand that he’s in the later stages of Alzheimer’s and doesn’t recognize you anymore. But there’s something you need to talk to him about, something you’ve been carrying with you for over twenty years. You need closure, and only your father can give you that.”
Delilah shook her head. She understood what he alluded to, but it didn’t matter. “There’ll never be closure. You said it yourself. My father doesn’t recognize me anymore. He doesn’t have any memories of what happened.”
“That’s not entirely true. He still has memories, they are just locked away.”
“Mr. Giles, I’m sorry that you’re wasting your time, but I can’t talk to my father anymore.”
“Please, hear me out. I can unlock his memories long enough to allow you to talk to him as if he was healthy again. It’ll give you the opportunity to say what you need to say to him.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not. Some of us have special gifts. This is mine. I’m happy to use it for this purpose. But you’ll only have a few minutes, before his mind will cloud again, so use the time wisely. Just tell him.”
Delilah swallowed hard. The camera tilted away from Gabriel to a chair. She recognized her father instantly. His stare was blank, his shoulders slumped. Tears formed in her eyes, seeing him like this. Nothing would bring him back. She could never ask him for forgiveness.
Gabriel stepped behind her father and held his hands several inches above the old man’s head. Gabriel’s eyes closed. A few seconds later her father’s eyes suddenly took on life, and he looked straight at the camera.
“Delilah!” her father exclaimed. “Sweetheart, it’s so nice to see you.”
“Daddy?” Her voice broke. He’d recognized her. After so many years, he finally knew her again.
“What’s wrong sweetheart? Why are you crying? Did somebody hurt you?” His voice was full of concern.
“No, Daddy, I’m just happy to see you.”
“So am I, so am I.” He gave her a ravishing smile, reminding her of how he’d always looked at her when she was a young child. “It’s been a while. Your mother and I miss you. You’re working too much, you know that?”
Delilah blinked. He didn’t know that her mother was dead. He had no memory of it. It made sense. Her mother had died when he’d already been afflicted with Alzheimer’s. There was no need for her to bring it up now. She didn’t want to cause him any undue pain.
“I know, Daddy. I’ll come and visit you and Mom the next free weekend I get. How is that?” she lied, unable to bring herself to tell him the truth.
“That sounds like a plan.”
Delilah cleared her throat. She was at a loss of how to approach him. Too many years she’d carried her guilt with her, and now that she had the opportunity to talk to her father about it, she was at a loss for words. There was no right way to start this conversation.
“Do you sometimes still think of our time in France?”
He smiled. “Many times, sweetheart.”
“Me too. I think of it a lot.”
“You were such a young child then, I’m surprised you remember much.” His voice was soft, but also laced with pain.
“I remember all of it from back then.”
He raised his hand to stop her. “Many things are best forgotten.”
“But how can I forget?”
“Only think of the good things, don’t dwell on the bad.”
She shook her head, too choked up to speak.
“Have I ever told you what a joy you were to your mother and me? I can still hear your laughter when I would push you on the swing, and you would demand to go higher and higher. You were such an adventurous little girl. So brave. Always so brave.” He gave her a big smile.
“I’m not always that.”
“In my eyes, you are.”
“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry!” Tears started forming in her eyes.
He furrowed his brows. “Sorry for what? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Peter,” she pressed out. “I should have done something. I ...” A single tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a hot trail on her skin.
