Hello, Goodbye - Oneshot
- Thread starter MangaDex
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Welp, I was expecting Don met his father before the chapter ends
Aw, it ended before we got to see a drunkard who would then assault the son with broken bottles (and hopefully die in the process) 
Alternatively, it ended before we got to see the father having hung himself last weekend with some message to his long-gone son :/
Alternatively, it ended before we got to see the father having hung himself last weekend with some message to his long-gone son :/
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I get the message but don't agree with it, the one in the wrong was the father that beat up his kid and made him leave, now they haven't spoken in 20 years and the father after being sober and in therapy etc.. hasn't contacted his son to try and ask for forgiveness? I don't think he deserves or even wants to see his kid again.
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@thecronosone Don clearly cut him off entirely. Inability to contact someone who didn't want to be found does not belong on the father's list of wrongs.
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@Metonym I'd agree with that but Don didn't even know his father was sober and getting help or anything even when his father was still on speaking terms with his friends, even if he couldn't contact him directly he could still talk with his friends and send a message, to me that seems like a total lack of interest, Don's father probably wants to leave his old life behind without his wife and son so he isn't making an effort to patch things up.
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@thecronosone It's not so simple as that to assign motives to the father. People in general will chat on friendly terms with the taxi driver, barber, what have you. That same relationship does not necessarily support asking for a favor from someone who previously heard you were abusive. The question might seem completely unapproachable if you happen to be a recovering, guilt-stricken man.
The story establishes "recovering" pretty solidly. "Guilt-stricken," and thus (perhaps) forgiveable, is left for Don to discover, and that's kind of the point. Whether he likes it or not, Don holds on to sentiments good and bad, and he owes it to himself to resolve things. He comes back to town to see Elizabeth off, but it's not a proper resolution. Over her grave, he's full of things he never got to say. Liz's daughter stands in contrast, having said goodbye many times at the hospital. Her mother's death represents a far more central loss in her life than Don's, but Don would have given an arm and a leg for the precious chance she had; to set things as straight as possible while there was still time.
For you, it suffices to surmise, perhaps correctly, that the father's actions demonstrate that he is a lost cause, worth no further thought nor attention. Don discovers that for him, it does not suffice, and that he would rather understand his father for certain than burden the rest of his life shutting away the insistent hope that asks "what if?". No doubt he's taking a risk. But he's a man now, with gained experience and strength of character. He can handle taking upon himself the two things that are coming, and it's not an either/or.
Perhaps he reopens old wounds. That merely affirms their purpose.
Perhaps healing is possible. Well, wouldn't that be nice?
The story establishes "recovering" pretty solidly. "Guilt-stricken," and thus (perhaps) forgiveable, is left for Don to discover, and that's kind of the point. Whether he likes it or not, Don holds on to sentiments good and bad, and he owes it to himself to resolve things. He comes back to town to see Elizabeth off, but it's not a proper resolution. Over her grave, he's full of things he never got to say. Liz's daughter stands in contrast, having said goodbye many times at the hospital. Her mother's death represents a far more central loss in her life than Don's, but Don would have given an arm and a leg for the precious chance she had; to set things as straight as possible while there was still time.
For you, it suffices to surmise, perhaps correctly, that the father's actions demonstrate that he is a lost cause, worth no further thought nor attention. Don discovers that for him, it does not suffice, and that he would rather understand his father for certain than burden the rest of his life shutting away the insistent hope that asks "what if?". No doubt he's taking a risk. But he's a man now, with gained experience and strength of character. He can handle taking upon himself the two things that are coming, and it's not an either/or.
Perhaps he reopens old wounds. That merely affirms their purpose.
Perhaps healing is possible. Well, wouldn't that be nice?
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This one left me really torn. On the one hand, I think we all yearn for reconciliation with those we are tied to, whom we’ve hurt or been hurt by. On the other, even if a former abuser wants to apologize or atone, it’s not right to try to trick or pressure their former victims into receiving it, and it’s okay to just cut ties and stay gone no matter how much all parties change. It’s okay to leave.
