Father's Day

It had been an exhausting and emotional week for Phineas. The Monday announcement of the school's yearly Father's Day Activities had made him just as excited as the years before; he and Ferb would both take turns entering one obstacle race and competition after another with their father. It had been something Principal Beauregard came up with for the entire high school. And every year, the games were more and more interesting.

As usual, Phineas was looking forward to that coming weekend.

… At least until the new kid from the eleventh grade spoke up.

"Those Father's Day games are for dads and their kids; not dads and their stepkids."

At first, Phineas had shrugged it off, as usual. He had known Lawrence for so long now, he had never considered him as his stepfather, but merely as his father. And Ferb had acted the same way with Linda being his mother.

But the more that teenager had insisted it, and in a very rude manner, the more it began to bother Phineas, as well as Ferb. Phineas had attempted to say something back after a few days of the same boy saying things to him, but to his complete surprise and astonishment, Ferb had the last say; and it was not something Phineas had expected him to say:

"You didn't know him for as long as I did… so technically, you don't know him as well as I do."

Phineas had not expected his own brother to say that. Part of him figured it was because Ferb had been faced with pressure from that student, but the other half of him said that he was right. So for the remainder of the week, Phineas had begun to feel more and more out of place in the blended family he had grown to love so.

And he ceased communications with Ferb. Awkwardly. He even asked his mother if he could sleep in the guest room until things cooled over.

But the closer the weekend came, the worse Phineas felt. Suddenly, his heart seemed only half completed, as if one part of it had been torn out. A whole that could never be filled properly was where there used to be none, filling his head with doubts; he felt as though he was missing something every other child he knew had: two parents.

… Two biological parents.

Was it his fault? Was he to blame that his biological father was no longer there? Was it of his doing that the man he had once been fond of could not make it to the festivities?

Was it his fault that that drunk driver had collided head-on with the small car his father was driving?

… Phineas began to feel as though it was.

Sunday came, and the activities took place as usual. Phineas and Ferb both accompanied Lawrence to the park, like every year, signed up and got ready for the first competition: the three-legged race. Usually, Lawrence would dare to attempt tying both of his ankles to both Phineas and Ferb's, although this usually ended in a hilarious loss either at the beginning or the end of the course.

But Phineas insisted that he did it with Ferb. So when the horn was blown, the two Fletchers began clumsily making their way across the field together.

… And Phineas left the park and headed home.

He felt horrible. He felt like the odd one out, which had never been something he thought he would regret. Phineas had always been different than other children, whether it was because of the shape of his head or because of the things he did or even his name. But he had been proud of his uniqueness and everything that came with it.

Today, however, he felt like this was something he had overlooked.

The walk home was filled with regrets and sorrows. He wondered if life was toying with him that day; he had never seen so many children outside with their fathers, playing catch or squirting each other with water. Distant memories of his father doing things with him and Candace, like light fireworks or count clouds filled his mind... It became even more unbearable when he heard an ambulance whine down the street... THAT was something he did not need to hear on that particular day.

It took him at least fifteen to twenty minutes to arrive home. But instead of letting his mother know that he had returned, he simply entered the garage and stared at the drumset he and Ferb had pulled out for band practice. These drums had once belonged to his father, Francis Flynn. According to Linda, he had been an avid drum player, even though he did not look like he was. He could read music incredibly well, as well as sing. He could also play bass guitar, but he did not enjoy that as much as he enjoyed playing drums.

Phineas could vaguely remember how his father would sit him on his lap and let him hit a drum with one of his sticks. Phineas could play the drums quite well, but unlike his father, he found more pleasure in playing the guitar.

The fifteen-year-old walked up to the drumset and trailed his fingers over the rim of a snare drum. Walking around the kit, he took a seat at the small bench and reached down to grab the sticks that were sitting near the bass drum. He held them up to his eyes and stared at them for several seconds, even after his eyes had welled up. Tears fell to the ground when he blinked. After a moment of sitting there doing nothing but staring at the sticks that had once belonged to his father, Phineas closed his eyes, bit his lip and began pounding away at the drums as though he could hear the melody in his mind.

He did not notice Linda peer into the garage and silently watch him play as tears filled her own eyes.

After several minutes of playing, Phineas fell to the floor in a sitting position and remained there for nearly half an hour. He balanced the sticks in his hands until Linda came to talk to him. Phineas knew that his mother had guessed why he was back, but he was thankful she did not mention wanting to talk about it. Before she returned into the house, Phineas asked her if he could spend the night at his sister's place.

"Spend the night at Candace's house? Is… is there a reason why?"

"I dunno… I just wanna sleep there… I need some… time away from…"

He never finished, but he knew Linda already guessed who he wanted to stay away from for a while. So just as Lawrence and Ferb returned from the park with the few ribbons they had acquired, Candace came and picked her little brother up.

"Where's Phineas going?"

"He's been feeling a little off for the past week. So he's going to spend the night at Candace's. He might stay there for a few nights if needed."

"I was wondering where he had run off to… Why did he leave the park?"

Phineas ate very little for dinner at his sister's, but he was grateful for the fact that she came and sat with him in the living room later with giant pieces of chocolate cake—Candace had gotten into the habit of cooking once she moved out of her parents' house, and knew that her little brother enjoyed everything she came up with, even the stuff that came out rock hard or burnt.

"Mom said you had a bit of a rough week."

"That's one way of putting it."

"Why didn't you stay with Dad at the Father's Day Activities in the park?"

"… It didn't feel right."

"What are you talking about?"

"… A kid from school stated that it was for Dads and their biological kids… not stepkids. It didn't bug me at first until someone told me that I didn't know Dad as well as I should, since he's not my biological father… doing those Father's Day Activities with him suddenly felt… out of place."

"… Who said that to you?"

"…Ferb…"

"… Ferb?! He actually said that to you? What the heck crawled up his leg?"

"Don't get mad at him… he was under pressure too…"

Phineas poured out the events of that week to her and mentioned how he felt. Candace had learned to be a good listener over the years, and once Phineas had finished speaking, she attempted to cheer him up.

"I highly doubt that Dad labels you the same way that kid does, Phineas."

They ate chocolate cake together and then Phineas left to play a few video games in the spare bedroom while his sister cleaned up. Considering his father had been absent that week, gone on a trip to India to visit his mother, Baljeet had stayed home during the festivities reading, helping his mother and playing online video games. So when Phineas got online, Baljeet made himself available.

"How has that issue between you and Ferb been resolving?"

"At the moment… I just need a few days away from him."

"Ouch. It is hard to believe that you two are arguing."

"We're not really arguing… and it's not really his fault. I just need to forget about the whole stepfather thing."

"Do you remember what your biological father was like, Phin?"

"… Just a bit…"

"Was he like you?"

"… Could we change subjects, please?"

"Alright. Sorry about that."

They played an online game together, talking about what they had planned for summer. Despite the fact that Baljeet tended to be a little boring at times, Phineas had always admired his intelligence and was grateful for his help. He also noticed the effort Baljeet put into distracting him from his thoughts, which he silently thanked.

After an hour or so, Phineas' cellphone began to sing a bohemian styled song. He put his controller down and picked up his phone, already knowing who it was.

"I need to talk to you. Like now."

"Okay."

"Could you let me in?"

"Where are you?"

"Right here."

There came a knock on his window. When Phineas turned his head, he found his stepbrother leaning against the glass while rapping his knuckles against it. He held his cellphone against his ear. Phineas stared at him silently for a moment before letting Baljeet know that he had to put the game on hold for a while. His friend did not mind, stating that he had been called to get off anyhow. So after saying goodbye, Phineas logged out of the game and opened the window for his best friend to crawl in.

"I said something stupid and I want to apologize."

"It's no big deal; you were under pressure…"

"No, it is a big deal if I said it to you. You didn't deserve to hear that, especially from me…"

They chatted quietly about the events of that week, and only stopped when Ferb had thoroughly expressed his regret and apologized for the way he had been acting with Phineas all week. After forgiving him, Phinease invited him to play a few video games. However, Ferb's apology did not completely make Phineas' feelings from that week disappear, but he decided not to let his brother know about it.

It took at least a half hour before Candace noticed her stepbrother's presence. Seeing that the issue had been resolved, she called her parents and told her brothers that Lawrence would come to pick them up shortly. After loading Ferb's bike into the trunk of the van, the boys left and headed for home.

However, once in the driveway, Lawrence had other plans than letting his stepson get out; as Ferb unloaded his bike and headed indoors, the man instructed Phineas to hop into the front passenger seat.

"I want to take you out for coffee, Phineas."

"I don't drink coffee, Dad."

"Then we'll go out for hot chocolate or something."

"… But it's eleven o'clock at night. Hardly anything's open at this hour."

"We'll find some place. There's still one hour left for Father's Day and I'd like to spend it with both of my sons, not just one."

Phineas said nothing as his stepfather left the driveway and took off down the street with him.

*****

Lawrence grabbed the hot drinks when the woman behind the counter handed them to him. Thanking her with a smile, he turned away and walked towards the table near the window, where Phineas was silently sitting. They had been able to find a café opened for twenty-four hours, and so after instructing his son to go find a seat, Lawrence ordered a drink for each of them.

Phineas looked up at his stepfather arrived and sat down across from him with a sigh. Lawrence took their drinks off of the tray. "One decaff for me," he announced, "And one hot chocolate for you. Enjoy."

Phineas grabbed his drink and held the Styrofoam cup up to his lips. Careful not to burn himself, he took a sip. Even though it was summer, he had not realized how chilly that night had been until he tasted the hot chocolate.

The two of them remained silent for a few seconds. Lawrence watched as Phineas attempted not to have eye contact with him, and finally opened his mouth. "Your mother spoke to me," Lawrence said softly, catching Phineas' attention. "At least briefly. About how you've been feeling this past week. I know you probably didn't tell her everything, but knowing her, her guesses are topnotch… That and you only ask to stay at your sister's when something is bothering you deeply."

Phineas looked down at his cup while tracing circles over the lid. Lawrence watched him do so silently before continuing: "Phineas, I raised you since you were three years old," he said. "I watched you start school, I helped you ride a two-wheel bike, I even taught you how to fish. I will admit; raising one stubborn girl and two brilliant boys was not an easy task, but it was always worth wild." He paused a moment before going on. "I know… how important Francis was to you…"

Phineas raised his eyes and looked at him.

"… Biological fathers have that kind of effect on their sons. Ferb looks up to me and respects me in a manner no other boy could, and the same goes for you and your biological father. A bond like that is impossible to break… even death can't undo it."

Lawrence reached over and placed a hand on Phineas' shoulder. "Your father was an extraordinary man," he said. "You have a right to admire him the way you do, to miss him as much as you do. There's no crime in that, and I would feel horrible if you tried to forget him completely only to satisfy me. Especially today. He was your father, he introduced you to life, so there is no crime in missing him, even after all these years. Each father has something unique to give to their children, and Francis gave you his world. If that isn't considered a special gift, then I don't know what is."

He smiled warmly before going on: "I don't want to replace him in your life, Phineas," he whispered. "I don't want anyone to take the place that you reserved for your father. But I want you to understand that, whatever people say to you about blended families, divorced families or the blood ties between them, you were and always will be, to me, my son. I may not have the same relationship with you that I have with Ferb, or that you had with Francis, but despite what others say, I raised you, so that makes you as much my son as Ferb does."

Phineas stared at him silently the entire time the man spoke, and suddenly, all of the doubtful thoughts and sad memories that had built up within him, weighing his heart down like an anchor, disappeared. It was almost as though they had never existed. After an entire week, Phineas gave Lawrence a grateful smile.

Lawrence rubbed the boy's head. "Ditch the Step part, remember?" he said. "I do recall you saying that to Ferb once or twice. It goes double for me. And don't forget that."

Phineas looked at his hot chocolate for a moment. "I won't," he replied quietly.

Lawrence pulled his hand away from the teenager and held up his coffee to his lips. "If I do say so myself, though, people should be jealous of you," he said after a sip. "Not very many people can say that they have two good fathers. I mean, perhaps there are, but from the people I know, not so much."

Phineas nodded weakly before looking up at the clock nearby. "There's still fifteen minutes left before tomorrow," he announced. "Did you want to tell me how the festivities went today?"

"That can wait," Lawrence replied. "I'd rather tell you what I used to do for my father on father's day."

"… I'd like that."

"And then tomorrow, considering you have no school, we'll go fishing with Ferb. How's that sound?"

"Sensational. Could we go back to the secret fishing hole you found when we were kids?"

"I believe we could."

Phineas grinned weakly before looking down at his hot chocolate again. It had been an exhausting and emotional week for him. Monday started out nicely yet progressively got worse, and the negative streak had held strong all the way to Sunday. But had it not, Phineas would not be sitting there in that café with his father, only the two of them. He would not feel as lucky as he did now to have had two fathers instead of one.

Exhausting week, perhaps. Emotional, definitely. But all worth it in the end.

Phineas waited for the man to take another sip of his coffee before speaking again: "Happy Father's Day, Dad," he said.

Lawrence smiled back.