I'm Sorry...

I’m Sorry…

The night was moving in from the hills. A chill had already settled its self in my bones as I rocked, back and forth, back and forth. The corn field not to far from my house rustled and the stream still closer hummed. The crickets sang and the peep frogs chirped, and far off in the distance a pack of she wolfs were taking down their pray. Their young will not go hungry tonight, I thought to myself.
I slowly got to my feet, for tonight was Halloween and I was not about to be cornered by a bunch of runny nosed kids begging for cavities, or pimply faced teenagers whom have nothing else better to do then put their toilet paper in my trees, because their swanky girlfriends are at home handing out handfuls of cavities to the runny nosed kids. Why parents allow ankle bitters to go out into public begging, dressed in stupid clothes is beyond me. I remember when there was a time the little buggers where to be seen and not heard, and they had to be dressed in their best. What happened?
As I moved to the door that would keep me safe from the beggars and throwers, I saw a shadow running just inside the corn field out of the corner of my eye. I turned towards it and raised my cane in the air.
“If you beggars come knocking on my door, an old fashioned spanking is what you’ll get, and that’s no trick but it’ll be MY treat!” I yelled. I heard some laughing out there somewhere, but I slammed the door on it and blew out the lamp.
Latter that night, I heard a knocking on my door. I lit a match to see the time, and wondered what a brat could be doing at five minutes past midnight at my door. A brief picture of my daughter flashed before my eyes, but it couldn’t be her. She had stormed out of this house some twenty or thirty years ago, and I haven’t heard from her since.
“Get the hell out of here, you worthless runts! Run on home to your doped up parents and leave me alone!” I hollered from my bed.
“So, you haven’t changed a bit, have you father?” A woman’s said from the other side of the door. My heart skipped a beat, almost killing me, but I managed to sit up.
“Melissa, is that you?” I asked.
“Does someone else call you father?” She asked. I jumped out of bed. The last time I saw her, we had fought. She was young and beautiful and pregnant, which had been the reason we had fought. She didn’t even know who the father to her baby was… I ran to the door as fast as a bad leg and back would allow, and stopped just as I reached for the latch.
“Is it really you Melissa?” I asked.
“I have a scar on my left shoulder where you beat me with your belt for soiling my Sunday dress.” She replied. It was her! I unhooked the latch and threw the door open wide.
She looked the same, young and beautiful. The same sweet smile, the golden hair that fell down her back, indeed it was her! Something about her was different though but I couldn’t figure it out. I rushed her into my house and made her tea, and we talked until dawn.
“The sun is about to rise father,” Melissa said.
“Oh, you must be tired, I wasn’t thinking. You must have traveled far. Where are you living now?” I asked her. She looked at me sadly and held out her hand, and I took it. We walked out to the porch and turned toward the corn field.
“If we must go for a walk, let this old man get a shirt will ya?” I asked.
“We won’t be out long enough for you to need it,” she said, squeezing my hand a little to tightly now.
Suddenly we were in the corn field, and we weren’t walking anymore. She was almost dragging me, and her breathing was loud and angry. Then she stopped and turned to face me.
“I live where you left me old man. Right here! How much closer did I need to be for you to come and visit every once in a while?” she glared at me. Then it hit me! The baby, where was her baby?
“You left me here 25 years ago father!” She screamed. “Do you know how scared I was of the dark? And the baby you ripped out of my belly cried! You couldn’t have heard it, I was only three months along, but I heard him! He was a part of me! And you left us here!” My mind was flashing pictures at me now. How could I have forgotten? I killed her in my anger and left her lying here!
Blood began to seep out of my skin, and sharp pain like a stabbing knife ran threw my body. I looked up into her eyes, and all I could see was hatred.
“I hate you father, and now it’s your turn to die!” she hissed. She wrapped her arms around me and began to squeeze.
The moment before my blood began to feed the corn, my last thought was, I’m sorry…

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