The Last Love Song

The young man searches for his father only to find that his life isn't as simple as it seems.

The Last Love Song

 

I snapped awake, all too late.  My father was gone. Mom was going to have my head.

            As much as I hated to admit it, the whole scenario was my own fault.  I promised mom I’d watch him like a hawk, never taking my eyes off him.  Unfortunately, I had stayed up late last night playing online poker.  Not only did I loose $1,000 dollars but I then misplaced my elderly, sick father.

            Looking around the room, I racked my brains: where would he go in his state of mind? Yes, he was old and under the weather but he could have gotten far.  Even as a kid, nothing seemed to slow down my dad.  He could have been bleeding from his eye sockets, ready to kneel over and that wouldn’t phase. I could see him just walking down the street, headed towards his office with blood spurting everywhere.

            Scanning the small room, I began to feel somewhat nostalgic.  This lake house was ancient but that’s why I loved it: it still contained that magical sense of adventure that I longed for as a boy.  Each nook and cranny had been searched in hope of finding a treasure.  Though I never came across Spanish doubloons, I cherished every moment spent there.

            Snapping out of my memories, I began again to search for some clue which could lead me to my father.  His slippers and robe were gone.  The only thing I noticed that was the rocking chair.  I distinctly remembered something being in the chair but it was now empty.  Great, my only clue was missing.

            I then thought hard, trying to remember what had been sitting there.  Slowly, the item began to form in my mind; a tall, rectangular box, pale yellow with a large, purple bow!  That was it!

            But that didn’t answer where he had gone.  Shoot

            Hoping my mother wasn’t back from her outing, I headed down the stairs.  Sadly, my father was nowhere in sight.  I headed into the kitchen, finding no sign of him.  I was about to look in the living room when our dog, Ulysses, nudged me.  He was mature too (about 70 in dog years) yet he was much like my father: old yet still strong.

            “Hey boy,” He rustled his fur.  “Have you seen pop?”

            It’s weird: if you ask the right questions, dogs will understand. 

            Ulysses barked and then tugged at my sleeve, something he hadn’t done since he was a puppy.  He let go before he headed towards the door leading downstairs into the basement.  I opened the door, turned on the light and went down, my faithful dog at my heels.

            Though I was an adult, I still didn’t like the basement.  It not just because it smelled and it was full of cobwebs; it was because you didn’t really know what exactly lurked in the shadows.  My dad, having that rare father sense of humor, thought it hilarious to scare the ever living daylights out of me while I was down there.  Needless to say, I almost had a heart attack.

            Today, he wasn’t waiting to scare me.  At that moment, I would have welcomed that.  I was ready to head back upstairs when Ulysses whimpered.  He stood next to a box that he pawed at, obviously wanting me to pay attention.

            I went over and opened up the box, thinking I would find one of his lost, puppy toys.  After wrestling with the top, it finally opened. Laying on top of the other items was a delicately carved frame of white wood.  I stared, completely hypnotized but not by the frame. The picture it held, though faded and old, was the portrait of the most amazing woman I had never set my eyes on.

            Her soft, plump lips curled up into a smile, setting of a sparkle in her deep, blue eyes; her hair was long with a glorious radiant sheen; her skin look smooth like a pearl, unblemished; her nose was perfectly molded for her face, dainty and level.  Around her swan like neck, she wore a necklace of glittering shells.

            Wait, a minute.

            That necklace, I had seen it.  In fact, I made that!

            I hadn’t see that necklace in years.  I was only a kid when I made it.  Originally, I was created it for my mother but oddly, it vanished.  I let my father see it before I gave it to Mom.  Oddly, he seemed extremely interested.  At that time, I didn’t think it was important but now, I knew something was up.  Who was this and why was she wearing this necklace from my childhood?

            Running upstairs, I searched wildly for my father but still found no sign of him.  Now, I was more than worried.  I was practically on the verge of panic.  A chill went down my spine as I tried to think. Nothing about this made any sense.  What did it mean?  Was there any connections between this woman and my dad?

            Ulysses barked again, this time at the window.  Quickly, I joined his side.  Outside, near the dock I spotted something fuzzy and pink: one of my dad’s slippers.

            I slide back the glass door, nearly shattering it.  Running down the dirt hill, dog at my heels, my heart beat like a mad drum.  Maybe he fell into the water and drowned.  He could have slipped; hitting his head on some rocks.  Gasping, I tried my hardest not to think about all the horrible possibilities. He had to be okay, he just had too.

            We reached the slipper, the only sign that my father was somewhere.  Mud caked the bottom of the furry shoe.  Beside it, I spotted foot prints. Jackpot!  They headed towards the forest.  Why he was there, I had no idea but the sooner I found him, the better.

            The forest was wet, marshy and muddy.  When I was younger, I would get scolded for just looking at it!  My mother lectured me on appearances, hygiene and diseases.  Dad, for once, actually encouraged me to follow her rules.  That was another odd thing he did but like before, I never found it important.  Now, I was following him into the belly of the beast.

            “Dad!” I yelled.  “Dad, where are you?”

            Ulysses barked as if to help me but we got no response.  I started to feel sick.  If he was hurt, this would be my fault.  I was the one who promised to watch him.  This was a complete disaster!  If I found him, I would never let him out of my sight.

            The footprints were starting to fade, making me worry even more.  Suddenly, Ulysses stopped, his ears standing up.  He growled, barring his teeth.  This was strange; he had never done this before.  Before I knew it, he was barking like a mad dog.  Snarling, he gradually moved towards a large, thick bush.  He barked again, loud and angry. 

            Out from the bush, something ran.  Ulysses barked again and then sped after the figure.

            “Ulysses!” I yelled.  It was useless; he wasn’t going to give up this chase. Sighing, I ran after him. This was starting to get tedious.

            Whatever he was chasing didn’t want to slow down.  Neither did Ulysses.   I was lucky enough to just keep his talent within my sight.  The last thing I wanted to do was loose my dog like I had misplaced my father.  Still, it was odd to see this behavior from Ulysses.  He had always been so well behaved and he never growled.  Whatever he was chasing must be pretty dangerous.

            Finally, he stopped.  I gasped, catching my breath.  Ulysses still growled with a fierce look on his face. 

            That’s when I saw her.

            Naked, dirty and scared, was a woman; the woman from the picture, with my necklace.

            My dog snarled and she shrunk back in fear. He made a lung but I grabbed him by the collar.  He snapped, barked but I didn’t let him go.  Now, I was really confused.  Why was he acting so deranged towards this frightened woman?

            “Patrick?”

            My heart stopped beating for one rare second.  Turning around, I finally saw him; my father, missing one slipper and covered in mud with the mysterious package firmly in his hands. 

            The strange lady gave a delighted squeal, her fear vanishing.  Jumping up, she ran towards my father with arms wide opened.  He moved the box, making room for her.  They embraced but it didn’t stop there; they shared a kiss.  Ulysses barked; the woman regained her scared face and hide behind my father as if to be protected.

            “Down boy, down,” Dad commanded.  “She’s not an enemy, I promise.”

            Ulysses didn’t seemed all that convinced, his teeth still showing.  Behind him, his strange girlfriend whimpered.  He took a hold of her hand, trying to reassure her.

            “Okay, that’s it!  Someone better explain what’s going on!” I finally cried.  “Dad, who is this woman?  Why did she kiss you, why is she naked and why is she wearing the necklace I made for mom?”

            There was an awkward silence between our awkward group; a dog with barred teeth, an old man in his bathrobe, a nude woman and a frustrated son who felt like he was high.  In was broken when my father finally decided to speak, “Well, I guess you do owe you an explanation Patrick.  This woman you asked about is Pearl.  She’s my bride.”

            This one, small word hit me like a ton of bricks.  My father had a secret wife that I didn’t know about.  How long had they been together?  She looked so young, just like in her portrait.  Wait, that meant she hadn’t aged in years. 

            “Dad, how old is she?”  I asked.  He fell silent and gazed towards the ground.  “Dad, answer the question!”

            “I---don’t know.  She’s immortal,” He sighed heavily.  “Son, Pearl is a siren.  She’s not human.” 

            Now, this was way too much for me.  A siren?  My father really was going insane.  Sirens were a story from a fairy tale; any person with half of a brain knew that.  It was sad really; this child’s story tale may have worked on me when I was two.  Pearl said nothing, her eyes filling with tears.  She glanced at be then averted her eyes.

            “This is bull crap!”  I yelled.  Pearl whimpered, shrinking back.  “What is wrong with you?  If you’re a siren, then why don’t you sing me a song, huh?  Sing why don’t you? SING!”

            And she did.

            But it wasn’t just everyday singing.  This woman’s voice was the most harmonic thing that I had ever heard.  I didn’t even hear the words; all that registers was the soft music.  Where it came from, I don’t know but at that point I was too hypnotized to ever care.  There, she stood tall, her mouth wide opened as she sang.  My father got a dreamy look on his eyes.  He must know this song.

            When she stopped, I felt sad as if I wanted her to keep singing.  Once she finished, she started at her feet like a school girl meeting her crush in the hallway.  Her eyes locked with mine as she shuffled back to my father.

            “Oh, I almost forget! Here you are Pearl.” From behind his back, my father produced the box that was missing from his room.  Upon seeing this, her face lit up as if she had just won the lottery.  She grabbed the box, then pulled my father into a passionate kiss.

            Needless to say, I nearly vomited.

            Giggling like mad, she merrily skipped to behind a group of trees.  For a second, the two of us said nothing.  I saw it with my own two eyes but I just couldn’t believe it.  Sirens…..they weren’t real.  They’re myths, pure fiction.

            But that song wasn’t fiction.

            “Son, you alright?” My dad asked.

            “No Dad, I’m not okay!  I just found out that my father has been cheating on my mom for the past twenty years with a siren!”  I exploded.  I didn’t mean to yell at him but I was so mad and confused.  This was like some weird dream but I knew it was awake.

            Pearl peeked out from the trees.  She giggled again and skipped out, wearing a silk, yellow dress.  That was another thing I had seen before: it used to belong to my grandmother: the satin sash around the waist; two white bows on the puffed sleeves; embroidered hem that looked like snowflakes.  Pearl was smitten with this dress.

            She whirled around, the dress following her every move.  The dress was old, faded but with when she wore it, looked brand new.  My father watched her dance, tears in his eyes.

            “I promised her I’d bring her a dress,” He began to explain.  “She’d always wanted one.  Doesn’t she look beautiful?”

            BAM!

            Pearl dropped to the floor and screamed.  I looked behind me; there was my mother, holding dad’s old hunting gun.  The shot had hit a tree, leaving a smoking hole. 

            “I knew it, I knew it!” Mom screeched.  “That hussy was here all along!”

            “Now Sarah---“ My dad began.

            “Shut up!” She aimed the gun at him.  “All these years, you’ve done nothing but lie to me!  Every time we came to this stupid light house, you never spent a single moment of your time with me!  Wasn’t I good enough?”

            “Mom, calm down!” I walked towards her.  “You’re not thinking straight.”

            “Don’t you get Pat?” She gasped, ready to cry.  “We don’t matter to him!  We’re just burdens.  All he wants his is precious siren skank!”

            “So you’re just going to shoot him?” I asked.  “That won’t make things better, it’ll make them worse!”

            “Sarah, please try to understand,” My father’s voice was calm.  “When I first heard Pearl sing, it was too late.  I already fell in love with her. There was nothing I could do.  I tried so hard to resist but I just couldn’t.  But that doesn’t mean I never loved you or Patrick.”

            “LIAR!” Mom let another shot go, missing Dad by an inch.  “You never loved me so don’t start pretending now!”

            Pearl stood up, grabbing the gun from my mom.  The two women struggled; they fell into the mud, wrestling each other for control.  My father and I watched on in fear.  Mom pushed Pearl in the mouth, knocking her back.  Standing up and screaming in rage, she held the gun, cocked it and aimed at Pearl. 

            That’s when I jumped in front of her.

            “Mom, stop,” I told her softly.  “You can’t do this.  This wasn’t her fault or Dad’s.”

            “But she was the one sang!”

            “Yes, but look at her!” I glanced at Pearl.  “She’s naive!  She didn’t mean to do it.  It was accidental.  And Dad just fell in love with her.”

            For a second, she lowered the gun.  I was almost hopeful but her anger showed again, “No! I refuse to loose to that muddy, covered s**t!”

            The gun went off.  Pearl screamed. I shut my eyes.

            Opening my eyes, I saw no blood.  Looking at my mother, I saw her on her knees, tears streaming down her face.  The gun was in my father’s hands.

            “Sarah, I have loved you and I always will,” He told her.  “I just happen to love Pearl too.  You are both part of my family.  Can’t that be enough for you?”