Oklahoma solo Closed

IC Date: 5/14/2024
His dad died February 28th 2024

“Dad, I love you.” Younger Clark said, laughing all jovial. It was in the summer, the summer break! Well, Octavius had to work, so Joseph came with three boys. Granted, 2018 was a bit ago. Clark was only seven! His brothers.. well.. he didn’t care about their bloody age. All that mattered was him and himself. They arrived at the park, and Clark ran towards the swingset. His heart pumping, him panting, all out of excitement and energy.

Suitcase packed with all his things, car pulls up, the doorbell rings. He don't wanna go. He thought he'd found his home, but with circumstances he can't change. Waves goodbye as they pull away from the life he's known, for the last seven months or so

Joseph walked up to Clark, laughing. “You’re a little too old to be pushed on the swings, but do you want me to push you?” He asked. Clark just laughed, happy. “Yeah!” He exclaimed, his voice a little high. Joseph complied, deciding he’d want to be playful, much less to the judging looks of others watching him and Clark. Joseph grabbed the chains of the swing and pulled towards him, then moved his hand down the chains until he felt it was not going to bounce Clark off from an irregular swing. He stopped down the chains approximately where Clark’s elbows rested. He let go.

Clark whooped, but the swing kept twisting and he felt like he was on some weird twisty ride, but he wasn’t complaining. It was kind of fun. Clark yelled out, asking for another push. Joseph lightly pushed on his back as he swung back towards him. Granted, it made the swing twist more, but Clark’s laughter didn’t die.

She said we found a man who looks like you, who cried and said he never knew about the boy in pictures that we showed him.

But it seemed like it had to die. The swinging. All of a sudden, he got a flashback to when they were walking a nature trail alongside a river, same cluster of people but Octavius was with them. Trees lined the sides of the pavements, providing enough gaps to see the rushing river as the water flew over the slick rocks and crashed into the water below.

They had a picnic basket full of food. Clark’s eyes lingered around him. The trees were a mixture of yellow, red, brown and even a bit of green. It was kind of nice, the view. The rustling of the leaves as the cool breeze blew by.

Inside the basket was the nice refreshing smell of fried chicken, potato salad, and coleslaw. Honestly, Clark himself asked for the Coleslaw. To Clark’s best memory, Joseph specifically wanted something american to eat, as they’ve been eating fish and chips a bit too much lately.

Clark closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and listened to the crashing and rushing of the water. He listened to the rustling of the leaves, the squirrels running across the branches, the birds pecking into the ground, the voices of other people walking by and other kids laughing and shoving each other.

When the goblin’d open his eyes, he would see the beauty. The beauty of nature. The beauty of change. Not everything was as hideous as a wart on a toad’s back.

A rambler in his younger days, he knew he'd made a few mistakes, but he swore he would have been there had he known it. Son, we think we found your dad in Oklahoma.

He looked at Joseph, seeing him laugh with Octavius, his two siblings laughing, then him. It was kind of silly, but.. they were happy..

Another distortion, another blow. This time, it was just him and Joseph. They were standing at a white ice cream truck, and Joseph was ordering a chocolate covered banana on a stick for both of them. The only difference was Clark’s had rainbow sprinkles on it. He loved it, thinking that it was healthier than actually eating the ice creams or sherberts.

When they got their frozen bananas, they sat down on a bench not too far off from the truck and talked, but Clark couldn’t remember what it was they were talking about. Like a reflection of himself, when he could remember exactly what he wore that day (ratty white t-shirt, white shoes, white long socks, white with light green and light blue plaid shorts), but he couldn’t remember what was said. His lips moved, no words came out.

A million thoughts race through his mind.. what's his name? What's he like? And will he be anything like the man in his dreams? She could see the questions in his eyes, whispered, don't be scared, my child. I will let you know what we know…

He saw that he was laughing. What was this third person point of view, this memory? Did it actually happen? Or was this something he wanted to happen in his life? Regardless, the boy was starting to feel extremely lonely, his chest empty and hollow, his heart lackluster. “Dad.” He said solemnly. “I miss you.”

He stared at the wall, knowing he was now back in the real world, hating that his memories were only temporary. Clark felt his tears starting to stream down his face. “Dad.. I remember when you first met me. I may not have been sweet..” He scoffed lightly with a smile on his face, the vision from the tears obscuring his view. “But you stuck with me. Up until you and Dad got a divorce.. not that long ago.”

About the man we found, he looks like you, who cried and said he never knew about the boy in pictures that we showed him. A rambler in his younger days, he knew he'd made a few mistakes, but he swore he would have been there had he known it. You always said that this was something that you wanted. Son, it's time to meet your dad in Oklahoma.

Clark walked over to his bookshelf, grabbing the box full of worn photographs, yellowed and sticky. Some had writing on it, the captions. Some.. did not. He pulled out a picture of their first snowman together the year he was adopted. He grabbed another picture that showed Clark putting on wigs in a dark alley in some secluded store, with the broken down, beat up refrigerators storing the milk in the background, a chip aisle lingering besides him on the right and on the other side, shelves full of toys. Clark looked so happy.

He didn’t bother to move the photograph, the tears down his face hitting the film. He knew who took this photograph; Joseph. Honestly, as ridiculous as the area was, he felt Joseph caught his innocence in the photograph.

One last turn, he held his breath, ‘til they reached the fifth house on the left. And all at once the tears came rolling in, and as they pulled into the drive, a man was waiting there outside. He wiped the worry from his eyes, smiled and took his hand, and he said..

He pulled the next photograph, but quickly threw it back into the box and put it back on the shelf, sobbing. How he missed him. Joseph may not have been a super great dad, but he sure did contribute to some great memories, memories he cannot redo.

I'm the man who looks like you, who cried because I never knew, about the boy in pictures that they showed me. A rambler in my younger days, I knew I made a few mistakes, but I swear I would have been there had I known it, never again will you ever be alone. Son, welcome to your home in Oklahoma.

“Dad. Why did you have to leave me?”