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Was there some truth to the fact that he and his father didn’t have a lot in common? Or that Dan Bradford just had social issues and couldn’t connect with anyone?
Yeah, there were.
But his students loved him, so he was able to connect with people on a short-term level.
None of that mattered now.
His father tried and gave him space and acceptance when he was a kid in the middle of a horrible situation.
“I’m sorry,” his mother said. “How many times do you want me to apologize?”
“There is no number,” he said. “There is no reason to do it. It’s only words. Words mean nothing with no actions.”
His mother let out a loud huff. “What kind of actions do you want me to have? You never want to talk to me or spend time with me. You never call or reach out.”
“Because every time we talk you want something. You say negative shit about Dad. You just can’t stop yourself from doing it. Whatever your beef is with him, that’s on you. But he’s been out of your life for twenty years and he’s been gone for over five.Let it go.You do the same shit with Blaze’s father. You can’t seem to move on.”
“Zach is a useless piece of crap,” his mother said. “He stopped paying support at eighteen for Blaze.”
“So you do remember his name,” he said.
“Don’t be a jerk,” his mother said. “You know damn well I know who Blaze’s father is.”
Zach didn’t last long but longer than most of the other men. Probably because there was a kid involved.
The guy was younger than his father, had a job in construction and moved around with it a lot.
The only thing that allowed Knox to finish his last four years in the same high school was that his mother didn’t want to travel with Zach.
So they’d moved to Delaware where Zach worked for eighteen months, which got him through two years of school, then his mother stayed there when Zach started to be on the road for months at a time. She’d found other men to fill that gap, and when Zach realized it, he was gone for good.
But good old Mom had men lined up to take care of her.
Once Knox had graduated and was off to trade school, he didn’t give two craps where she lived. He could work and support himself, but at that point, he started to spend more time with his father and was told he’d have a place either at the house near Mystic or with his father closer to Yale.
It was what he needed to hear and found the freedom he’d lost when he was yanked out of state by his cheating lying mother.
“Then you can call Zach to help with tuition. Or better yet, have Blaze ask.”
“Blaze did ask. Zach doesn’t have it. He doesn’t have to pay for it. I know Zach gives Blaze money, but Blaze never tells me.”
“And he shouldn’t have to,” he said. “You’ve said it before, that Zach’s obligation to you ended at eighteen. Most kids have to pay for their own college. I think it’s nice Zach still helps Blaze out, but you and I know that he doesn’t have to.”
“Your father paid for your education,” his mother said.
“Because he wanted to,” he said. “Again, I know all these things because you like to air your dirty laundry out. He stopped paying you when I turned eighteen, but he was always going to pay for my education, whatever it was. He did. End of story. If that isn’t the agreement you had with Zach, that is on you. What’s the matter, are you between men right now?”
There was more silence to that statement. He didn’t keep up; it was too hard to and not worth it.
His mother lived in Virginia now. She’d moved there with some man when Blaze was starting high school.
There was part of him that felt bad for his half brother because he’d felt that sting too.
But Blaze and he were different people.
His brother was more outgoing and friendly. Not nerdy in the least either.
Though Blaze wasn’t as big as him, he was still about six foot and had been above average in height and build all through school.
