Chapter 80: Family call
Feeling the weight of the poignant moment in Abby’s father’s room, Remo’s thoughts drifted to his own relationship with his father. With a heavy heart, he pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number, the anticipation of the conversation sending a shiver down his spine.
After a few rings, his father’s voice crackled through the line, tinged with surprise and perhaps a hint of apprehension. "Remo? Is that you?"
Remo swallowed hard, the words caught in his throat as he struggled to find the right response. "Hey, Dad," he managed to say, his voice strained with emotion.
There was a pause on the other end of the line, the silence stretching between them like an unspoken chasm. Remo could sense his father’s curiosity, his unspoken question hanging in the air like a heavy fog.
"It’s been a while since we talked," his father finally said, his voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and longing.
Remo felt a pang of guilt twist in his chest, a painful reminder of the distance that had grown between them over the years. He had always been more comfortable expressing his love through actions rather than words, but now, faced with the reality of their strained relationship, he realized the depth of his own indifference.
"Yeah, it has," Remo replied, his voice heavy with regret. "I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve called more often."
His father’s response was measured, a quiet acceptance tinged with the weight of unspoken hurt. "It’s okay, Remo. I know you’re busy with your own life."
But Remo could hear the sadness lurking beneath his father’s words, the longing for connection that had gone unfulfilled for far too long.