Terra Nova Online: Rise of The Strongest Player

Chapter 161: A tragic past

Chapter 161: A tragic past

300 MP… that’s how much the call cost Luke and Leo.

If it had been a heartwarming conversation with their mother, the two would not feel disappointed about it, however, with their dad suddenly reappearing, things became more complicated.

After the call completed, for a moment, the brothers said nothing to one another as they stood in silence trying to process the fact that their father was back.

“I thought that guy was dead….. I really thought he was dead” Leo said in an angry voice as he clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

Leo was only nine when their father abruptly disappeared one day, leaving only 500$ behind to the family name.

In the first place he did not have too many happy memories of being with the man, however, as a kid after suddenly losing him, Leo made peace with his absence thinking that he must have died.

The fact that he was alive but never came to check on the family for 12 years made Leo’s blood boil in rage, as he could not help but wonder what sort of scum did that?

“The question now is not about whether he was alive or not, the question now is why is he back in mother’s life?

I for one would never accept a grade A asshole like Jacob back in our life” Luke said, as he was genuinely worried about why their dad was back in their mothers life again?

“Did she forgive him? Do you think she really forgave him after what he made us suffer?” Leo asked Luke, in disbelief as he could not wrap his head around how their mother let that man walk back into their lives?

Images of him having his arms wrapped around her and a smug smile on his face, reappeared in Leo’s mind, as he felt like he needed to puke.

12 long years….. that was how long it had been since their father last saw his kids, yet the man did not even apologize once for leaving the way that he did while on a video call.

“Maybe you don’t remember it Leo, maybe you don’t know what it was like when we were kicked out of our apartment in uptown DC because we could not pay the mortgage.

But I do….” Luke said, his eyes quivering as he recalled their sad past.

“Saint Theresa….. that was the school we used to go to, but our mother could no longer afford the 40,000 dollar tuition and we had to shift to a government school.

I still remember her begging the school principal of Saint Theresa for our sake.

Begging that he gives us a scholarship. Begging that our future is not ruined because of her not being able to pay for our tuition.

I still remember the day when she had to sell off her beloved jewelry for pennies on the dollar, just so we could buy the ragtag apartment we now live in and buy groceries.

It wasn’t easy…

It wasn’t easy at all” Luke said, as he remembered the old days and felt extremely bitter about their father’s sudden departure.

His abrupt exit had flipped their entire life upside down, they had gone from being a part of the urban elite to becoming a part of the downtrodden, and it was only because of their mother that the two of them were still alive.

“You may have forgotten Leo, but I still remember how pretty mum was….. How many guys wanted to date her after our father left her…..

Some made in-appropriate approaches to her, promising her money and sustenance if only she agreed to sleep with them.

Father’s old friends, people in power, they all wished to exploit her.

There were even individuals who suggested that she give us up to the government. That she send us to a military camp or an orphanage, instead of supporting us like she did ….” Luke said, a tear forming in his eye.

“But mum did not. She did not give us up and supported us for 7 years till I became 18 and was able to start earning some money.

For 7 years we lived off mother doing odd chores and selling her priced assets.

Without her sacrifice we would be either on the street doing drugs or dead.

And all this happened because Jacob disappeared to God knows where” Luke said, his voice full of spite as Leo felt his blood boiling in anger.

“Of Course I remember brother, of course I do. I wasn’t 3, I was 9, I remember everything as vividly as you do….”

“I still remember the sports day at the communal schools before they were shut down.

The events where everyone had both their mother and father attending, however, we only had our mom.

I was not sad because our father wasn’t there, however, I still remember the harassment that the other parents did to our mother for having her husband leave her.

The other women were the most nasty, making the most dirty comments to hurt mother.

I still remember how mother cried for hours later at home that day …. And how much I hated father for leaving us alone” Leo said, his voice cracking as he felt incredibly emotional.

“I thought he was dead, I thought that could be the only justification for his sudden departure.

That’s what I told all my friends and that’s what I believed all these years as well. However, it turns out, he wasn’t dead! He was very much alive and well-” Leo said as he slammed his fist over his own thigh, beating himself up for being stupid.

“He was alive….. and he still abandoned us. I don’t know the reason behind why mother accepted him back, but I never will.

Our father is dead to me, I’m sticking with that story forever” Leo said, looking straight into Luke’s eyes with hatred burning within them.

“He’s dead to me as well. He was dead to me 6 months after he left and never came back. You and mother are my only family” Luke replied, as he brought Leo in for a bear hug.

“We will send mother two tickets if she insists, however, we will just consider it as if she is saving a friend.

Maybe with that guy around, mother won’t feel too lonely within the Arc ship. Maybe he can help her get to planet Terra Nova where her real family is waiting on her….” Luke said as Leo hugged his brother tight and wiped off his tears.

This was not how the brother’s hoped things would turn out, however, for the sake of their mothers happiness and safety they decided to roll with it for now.

They could have probably gotten together enough MP to buy an A class ticket for their mother, should she be the lone passenger, however, now between buying two tickets and her safety, the brother’s would need to work hard to even secure two C class ones.

While Elena did not know how much a downgrade in a class meant within the Arc ship, Luke and Leo did!

They knew exactly how much it meant and this only fuelled their hatred towards their father even more.