Chapter 50 - [Bonus Chapter]Daddy Won't See

Chapter 50: Daddy won't see 

"Thank you... for coming to the airport to welcome her"

"She is my mother in law, Jason. There is no thanks necessary"

Jason placed both his hands in his pocket and smiled. "Thanks, anyway. I will be going home soon. Would you like me to drop you at Elena's?" 

Mckenna hated the way she was feeling. She was sad and miserable and he was playing it cool. He seemed fine and it hurt her more than anything. She was barely keeping it together and he seemed fine. 

"I will take a cab. It's not a big deal" Mckenna answered.

Jason turned and started walking towards the mansion when Mckenna spoke.

"Jason, I miss you okay?"

Jason stopped and looked at her, his face was blank "I didn't walk out, Mckenna...you did. So why are you telling me this?"

Mckenna used her hand to rub her forehead in a circular motion "Because you are my husband and I am sad. And I need you to tell me that everything is going to be okay"

Jason looked away then he let out a huge breath through his mouth "I get that you are sad, Oma. And I am really... really sorry that I am the reason that you are sad. It was never my intention. But I have to go inside now"

Mckenna was tired of his bullshit attitude. She was done holding back.

"How come you are fine. You are okay and I am a wreck!"

Jason started laughing out loud like she made a terrible joke. He laughed for a long time before he stopped. He seemed fine to her, right? So put together like a rock.

Jason wondered how he was going to explain it to her. He could tell her he was a chocolate bar, strong on the outside but soft on the inside because he had to be. He didn't have any option. The love of his life left and he has a kid and therefore he had to be fine.

He doesn't get to curl up like a ball and cry his heart out, when he feels the tightness in his chest. 

Jason doesn't get to have that freaking luxury.

He was a father and he has a daughter, a smart one and he has to laugh at all her jokes, he has to make sure her homework gets done, and hair gets braided and food in her stomach. He doesn't get to feel a thing! He wasn't allowed to.

The love of his life left him and he has to smile all the time through the heavy chest and the growing feeling that he made a terrible mistake letting love into his life to begin with.

"I am fine, Mckenna. Strangely, I am. I am happy and I smile all the time. Now, if you would excuse me, I have to go be fine inside the mansion" Jason told her instead.

Mckenna watched him walk away. She didn't bother to say goodbye to the rest of his family, she simply turned and walked out the gate.

She didn't see or hear from him again for the next three weeks. She focused on her work and when she wasn't starring at her phone, she was hanging out with Elena or Amazing. 

****

Jason took the last sip from his glass. Even though he was starring at the television in front of him that was showing a live football match, he was barely seeing anything.

Chike sat by his side, except his attention was divided between watching his friend watch television and watching the television himself.

"Go win her back, Man. You need her, it's clearly written on your face" Chike advised him. It's been three weeks already and Jason was pretending not to be miserable.

Jason was thinking about something else. For some reason his mind kept replaying the incident Mckenna complained about. 

"So, what was I supposed to do? I came out and she was already sitting in the car" Jason said out loud.

Chike was confused but he played along.

"Who was sitting in the car?"

"Kara... about a month ago, we were going to see a movie or something and before Mckenna and I came out to enter the car, Kara was already sitting in the front passenger seat. I guess she assumed she could sit there since in Malawi she always sat there with me but Mckenna wanted me to do something. I mean what should I have done?" Jason's head did a little dance as he talked.

Chike thought it was rhetorical question until he turned to stare at him. "Oh, you want me to answer...hmm, I mean she is six and Mckenna is your wife...you diffuse the situation by telling your six year old to go seat herself at the back I guess. I mean that is what you did, right...I mean that is what I would have done"

Chike waited for his friend to agree with him but he kept mute and then he murmured 'no' 

"How did you resolve the issue, Yagazie?"

"I gave the key to Mckenna to drive while I sat at the back to avoid any complication but that didn't matter because Kara ended up coming to the back to sit with me and it clearly pissed Mckenna off"

"As it should! You are the parent not Kara. You've got to find a balance, Jason. You have to start treating Mckenna as your wife and Kara as the kid she is or...you will lose them both" Chike gave him the best advice a best friend can give. "Go to her and say you are sorry. Ask her to come back home"

"I am sorry I caused this whole thing, I really am but I didn't ask her to leave...She left on her own" Jason stood up from the chair he was sitting and took his jacket.

"I have to go. My daughter's ballet lesson ends by 6:30pm"

"Kara likes ballet?" Chike was surprised.

"Actually no...she said it's ridiculous and uncomfortable but it keeps her busy, you know"

Jason walked towards the door when he suddenly felt like he was going to pass out if he doesn't stop to catch his breath.

"Jason, are you okay?" Chike turned to watch him.

"Yeah, I am okay. I just..." He swallowed and took a deep breathe "I need to catch my breathe"

Chike stood up and walk towards him when Jason gestured for him to stay back. "Chike, I am fine. I just had too much to drink"

"You took a glass of Scotch, Jason"

"I am fine, see...I am fine" Jason walked out the door.

He got to the ballet school that was located five houses down from his home. He hooked and waited for his daughter to come out. He was ten minutes early. His phone started to vibrate and Jason took it out. It was Naya.

"Hey, Naya. How are you doing?"

"How's Kara, Jason?" She totally ignored his question.

"Practicing ballet at the moment... how's the orphanage?" Jason asked her.

"You shouldn't put her in that kind of stuff, Jason. You have to keep her close all the time and if she must have a past time activity, I suggest karate class. You need to toughen her up"

Jason let out a breathe to control the annoyance that was slowly creeping to his heart. Naya was ignoring all his inquiry and now, she was issuing orders about karate class.

"I am going to go ahead and say no to karate class but we can put her in  dance or piano class or carpentry...she loves breaking stuff. Ooh, we can do pottery too" Jason was using sarcasm to mask his annoyance.

"I thought Kane would come back to the orphanage but he hasn't...not yet. So, until I shoot him in between the eyes...I need you to get in line and be prepared for him. Jason, he is gonna come for her"

Jason let go and spoke to her in his true emotions "Well, let him come! In fact, you should go ahead and give him my address. But let's get one thing straight, Kara will be a normal kid and do normal stuffs too...no karata"

Naya was quiet for a while and then she hung up. Jason let out a breath again and again and again. Then a knock on the car glass window startled him.

"Hey Bean" He unlocked the door and let his daughter in.

"Are you alright, daddy?" Kara placed her seat belt on. "You are breathing funny, again"

Jason chuckled "Again? I don't breath funny, sweetheart"

Jason turned the ignition on and started driving to the house.

"Daddy, you should see a doctor" Kara had her worried face on "You were breathing funny again, last night"

Jason drove into his duplex and turned off the ignition.

"About that, Kara I know you normally have bad dreams but honey, you need to learn how to sleep on your bed. Yesterday was the fourth night, I woke up to see you lying next to me with your stuffed elephant" Jason touched her cheek.

"I was not having a bad dream, you were?!" Kara yelled and opened the door.