BYGONES.

"I'm sorry, Michael. I know I didn't do right by you and there's no excuse, but I'm still your father."

"Uh huh."

Michael grunts out a response to his father who is seated beside his mother on the couch in the living room. He has started to move around slowly and recovering quite well. He was watching TV when his parents came in and interrupted.

"Michael, won't you say something to your father?"

His mother urges, looking at him pleadingly on the couch where's he seated across the room from hers.

Michael shakes his head frustratingly,

"You can do better, Mom. Aren't you even angry that he cheated on you, many times at that? What's to say he still doesn't?"

"I have stopped, Michael, I swear."

Mr. Akinseloyin replies,

"Your accident made me rethink my priorities, I'm sorry for everything I ever did to hurt this familiy."

"it's okay, darling, let me handle this."

His wife chips in.

To Michael,

"I n  answer to your question, I am very angry at what your father did, and you have no idea how betrayed I feel. That being said, he's my husband, the love of my life and the father of my kids, there's no me without him. I would have left him regardless, but the past has taken too much from us, how about we just let this slide? As long as he's stopped and won't ever step out on me again, I forgive him. You should too, please."

"I could have died and it's all because of him. Why would you think he's not going to do it again? He's a political and politicians are known to be very slick liars. It's none of my business though, just saying."

He shrugs his shoulders.

"I can understand your hurt, we can even though we can't relate cause it's your reality. "

She points to her husband,

"He's still your father regardless, and he raised you even when you were living wild. He could have cast you out or disowned you, but he did none of that. I know he's not going to cheat on me again cause lately, I've been topping the charts in bed. I don't think he can try to match the young girls of this generation energy."

She concludes and winks mischievously.

"Oh my God, Mom. I didn't just hear that."

He puts his pinky fingers each into his ears.qqq

Michael smiles and stands slowly from the couch to move towards his father, his eyes red from the effort of trying to hold back tears.

Mr. Akinseloyin stands and meets his son halfway, his arms outstretched, sniffing back tears.

"God knows you did raise me and very well I must say, I can't remember the number of times I've brought stains on your name, but you held firm for me. I'm human and I'm not perfect too which is why you have to understand my earlier anger. I'm sorry, Dad, I forgive you."

He walks into his father's embrace and they hug each other tightly, patting each other's backs.

"Thank you, son. Thank you."

Mr. Akinseloyin says as they disengage each other to find Mrs. Akinseloyin weeping.

"What's wrong, darling?"

Mr. Akinseloyin rushes to his wife's side, kneeling beside her, panic etched all over his face.

"What's wrong, Mom? Are you okay?"

Michael asks in alarm?

She wipes her face with an handkerchief and sniffs,

"I'm okay, I'm just overwhelmed with seeing two of my favorite people in the world reconcile. You have no idea how happy it makes me feel."

She stretches out her arm and invites them in,

"Come give me a hug, boys."

They both go into her embrace and try as Michael did to stop it from happening, tears rolled freely down his cheeks.