a man came into the store had a striking resemblance to Alfie. Matt knew that he was Alfie's father. He gulped as the man looked around the empty store. It was about thirty minutes before the store closed. Alfie’s father turned around and flipped the closed sign.
Matt had a feeling of dread when the man's blue eyes landed on him. It didn't help that the man had enough shared features with Alfie that the lack of eye color made Matt uneasy.
Where Alfie was more artsy with his dress style, Mr. Bailey was a smartly dressed man with a three-piece suit. His jacket was slung over his arm while he had a briefcase in his hand. Alfie and his father didn’t share hair color either. The man before him having a paler shade of blond. He was also wearing glasses, black rectangular frames that suited the man’s serious look down to a “t.”
"You must be Mr. Ward. Alfie had told me quite a bit about you."
Matt cringed and looked to the side. "I won't be dumb enough to think it would be all good," Matt muttered. The look that Alfie's father gave him showed him that he knew what Matt was implying to.
“Ah yes, that was a very trying time in Alfie’s life. From what I know, you never did anything to Alfie. So, I am curious as to what you think Alfie would have said about you.”
Matt sighed and sat on his chair so he could cradle his head. "It's the not doing anything that's the problem. I could have reported them anonymously, but I didn't. In my opinion, I was just as guilty." Matt sighed and looked up at Mr. Bailey. The man had moved to the other side of the counter. The briefcase and jacket was placed on the table as Mr. Bailey looked down at his clasped hands.
"You were a teenager. We could argue back and forth about what it meant to not do anything. However, knowing the possible situation you were in, I can only imagine how you thought that if your team found out that you would no doubt be humiliated and ridiculed. I would also presume that would lead to you leaving the sport, and the whole school could see how happy you were on the field. So again, how can I blame a teenager who has yet to see the adult world?"
A lump had formed in Matt's throat. He tried to swallow it away, but he couldn't seem to. With a croak in his voice Matt barely got the words out of his mouth.
"I was the one who gave them up when they pushed Alfie down the stairs."
That got a reaction from Mr. Bailey. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped a little. "The police said it was one of the teachers, but they wanted to stay anonymous."
Matt snorted and looked off to the side. "I asked to stay anonymous. The police and the principal agreed that it would be best that I stayed out of the limelight."
A look of understanding came to Mr. Bailey's face. His eyes softened. "Does Alfie know?"
Matt merely shook his head negative. "I haven't gotten a chance to tell him." Mr. Bailey nodded his head, he looked down at his watch and then back up at Matt.
"Something you should know. In our family, we tell each other everything. Alfie had informed me that you confessed to him. Now, as a father, all I want to know is how you really feel about my son?"
Matt took a deep breath and felt his face move into a smile. He knew it was the smile that was always on his face when he thought of Alfie. He looked into Mr. Bailey’s eyes and kept the smile on his face. "When Alfie came to the school, he was such a ball of sunshine. He was also so friendly with everyone. He radiated happiness. It was hard not to be pulled in his orbit. I was in high school, but I stayed far enough away to not get noticed." Matt smirked as he scoffed at himself.
"I have always found him so endearing with all his little quirks. Always having a book around, always tilting his head when he's confused or thinking about something. His snarky sense of humor. He makes me relax, and he's more level-headed one between us. He… he just makes my heart want to beat out of my chest. I want to hug him when he does something adorable, and