Let Go 3/3
Thanks to zekkass for beta-ing!
Characters: Ryan Stiles, Mackenzie Stiles, Patricia McDonald, Colin Mochrie
Title: Let Go 3/3
Rating: PG
Word Count: 566
Summary: When the hard times are over.
Author Notes: Based on the Luther Vandross song Dance With My Father. Set in 2036. WARNING CHARACTER DEATH.
Let Go
“I’ll bet he’s up there playing poker with some of the people he idolized right now. We all miss you, dad. Thank you for everything, thank you for being you.” Mack concludes, clearing her throat and wiping away her tears before introducing the next speaker. “Here is a man that I know loved my father as much as I did. Colin Mochrie.”
She steps down from the podium in the vast cathedral with shaky legs. As she passes Colin, a man who’s like a second father to her, she hugs him. When they draw back she can see the tired and haunted expression in his eyes, one that mimics her own. She walks down the aisle, the same one her father walked her down at her wedding, and sits next to her crying mother. For a moment, her mind is completely devoid of thoughts she just stares forwards, but then she hears her father’s name mentioned and the pain floods back.
“Ryan was a great man. He didn’t judge anyone, only, maybe, himself.” Colin stops and lowers his head for a moment; he’s struggling to get words out. “Sorry.” He clears his throat. “He’s gone, but he won’t be forgotten. How could anyone forget a person like Ryan?
As he continues his speech, it finally sinks in for her. He’s actually gone, and forever this time. It’s not like how it was. Even though he was away for so much of her youth, she can’t remember any moments without him. She can still see every Christmas in British Columbia at Grandma and Grandpa Stiles house, and every Thanksgiving at The Mochrie’s. The memories are clear and that only drives home the pain.
One memory sticks out the most, just as it hurts the most. When she was a child, before God removed her innocence, he would lift her high and dance with her. He’d spin her around and around, calling her his princess, until she fell asleep. Then he’d carry her upstairs and tuck her in. It was in those moments she knew she was loved, and she’s sure he did too. He’d do it every night he was home. Even when he came home in the wee hours of the morning, she’d stay up and wait for that dance with her father.
Despite how much of a man he was, he was always a great comfort. When Mack would disagree with her mom, which was often, she’d run right into Daddy’s arms. He’d say silly things that made her laugh and eventually make her do just what Mom said. It was a happy home because of him. She wishes she could steal one final glance at him as he slipped a dollar under her pillow as she pretended to be asleep.
A hymn begins on the organs and she rises, weakly. Beside her, Uncle Rich tries to sooth her mother, who is sobbing wildly, wailing his name over and over. In the months to come, the months that remain for Mrs. Stiles, Mack will do more praying than she ever has. She prays for herself, but more for her mother. She wants God to something he doesn’t usually do. She wants Him to bring back the only man her mother ever loved, because she’s dying without him, they both are. She falls asleep every night, with the same wish: to dance with her father again.
~End~
The lyrics to Dance With My Father can be found here.
Characters: Ryan Stiles, Mackenzie Stiles, Patricia McDonald, Colin Mochrie
Title: Let Go 3/3
Rating: PG
Word Count: 566
Summary: When the hard times are over.
Author Notes: Based on the Luther Vandross song Dance With My Father. Set in 2036. WARNING CHARACTER DEATH.
Let Go
“I’ll bet he’s up there playing poker with some of the people he idolized right now. We all miss you, dad. Thank you for everything, thank you for being you.” Mack concludes, clearing her throat and wiping away her tears before introducing the next speaker. “Here is a man that I know loved my father as much as I did. Colin Mochrie.”
She steps down from the podium in the vast cathedral with shaky legs. As she passes Colin, a man who’s like a second father to her, she hugs him. When they draw back she can see the tired and haunted expression in his eyes, one that mimics her own. She walks down the aisle, the same one her father walked her down at her wedding, and sits next to her crying mother. For a moment, her mind is completely devoid of thoughts she just stares forwards, but then she hears her father’s name mentioned and the pain floods back.
“Ryan was a great man. He didn’t judge anyone, only, maybe, himself.” Colin stops and lowers his head for a moment; he’s struggling to get words out. “Sorry.” He clears his throat. “He’s gone, but he won’t be forgotten. How could anyone forget a person like Ryan?
As he continues his speech, it finally sinks in for her. He’s actually gone, and forever this time. It’s not like how it was. Even though he was away for so much of her youth, she can’t remember any moments without him. She can still see every Christmas in British Columbia at Grandma and Grandpa Stiles house, and every Thanksgiving at The Mochrie’s. The memories are clear and that only drives home the pain.
One memory sticks out the most, just as it hurts the most. When she was a child, before God removed her innocence, he would lift her high and dance with her. He’d spin her around and around, calling her his princess, until she fell asleep. Then he’d carry her upstairs and tuck her in. It was in those moments she knew she was loved, and she’s sure he did too. He’d do it every night he was home. Even when he came home in the wee hours of the morning, she’d stay up and wait for that dance with her father.
Despite how much of a man he was, he was always a great comfort. When Mack would disagree with her mom, which was often, she’d run right into Daddy’s arms. He’d say silly things that made her laugh and eventually make her do just what Mom said. It was a happy home because of him. She wishes she could steal one final glance at him as he slipped a dollar under her pillow as she pretended to be asleep.
A hymn begins on the organs and she rises, weakly. Beside her, Uncle Rich tries to sooth her mother, who is sobbing wildly, wailing his name over and over. In the months to come, the months that remain for Mrs. Stiles, Mack will do more praying than she ever has. She prays for herself, but more for her mother. She wants God to something he doesn’t usually do. She wants Him to bring back the only man her mother ever loved, because she’s dying without him, they both are. She falls asleep every night, with the same wish: to dance with her father again.
~End~
The lyrics to Dance With My Father can be found here.