Part 11
When Ethan turned ten,
he began to ask more detailed questions about their past,
noticing that his parents never talked about New York.
He had found an old,
dusty newspaper clipping in a library archive while working on a school history project.
The headline had featured a picture of a younger,
stern-looking Richard being led out of a building in handcuffs.
That evening,
after dinner,
Ethan walked into the living room,
holding the printout in his trembling hand.
Richard and Clara were reading by the fireplace,
the atmosphere peaceful until they saw the look on their son's face.
"Daddy,"
Ethan asked,
his voice cracking,
"is this you?"
Richard looked at the paper,
his stomach dropping as the ghosts of his past reared their ugly heads once more.
Clara gasped softly,
instantly moving to stand by her son,
but Richard held up a hand,
stopping her.
He knew this day would come,
and he knew he had to face it with absolute honesty,
just as he had faced everything else.
"Yes,
Ethan,"
Richard said clearly,
setting his book down,
"that is me."
Ethan looked confused,
hurt,
and slightly frightened,
staring at the image of the criminal,
then at the loving father standing before him.
"Did you do something bad?"
the boy asked,
a tear leaking from his eye,
"were you a bad man?"
Richard walked over,
kneeling so he was at eye level with his son,
placing his hands on Ethan's shoulders.
"I did some very bad things,
Ethan,"
Richard explained,
keeping his voice steady and calm.
"Before you were born,
I cared more about making money than being a good person."
"I lied,
I cheated,
and I hurt a lot of people through my greed."
"And because of that,
the law punished me,
and I had to go to prison."
Ethan stared at him,
processing the heavy information,
his little mind struggling to connect the two versions of his father.
"But you are not like that now,"
Ethan said,
searching Richard's face for reassurance.
"No,
I am not,"
Richard said fiercely,
"going to prison made me realize what was truly important."
"It made me realize that your mother was right,
that family,
honesty,
and love are the only things that matter."
"I spent every day since then trying to become the father you deserve,"
Richard continued,
"a man you can be proud of."
Ethan looked at the picture one last time,
then crinkled the paper up into a tight ball,
tossing it into the fireplace.
The flames instantly caught the paper,
turning the dark headline into white ash in a matter of seconds.
Ethan threw his arms around Richard's neck,
burying his face in his father's shoulder.
"I am proud of you,
Daddy,"
Ethan whispered,
"because you are the best dad in the world now."
Richard held his son tight,
May you like
blinking back his own tears,
knowing that the ultimate forgiveness had finally been granted.
