Chapter thirty-six

Back at home, Zeke finally decided to face his father. He knew he had already touched a lot of lives – Mr. Leitner, Gael, the Copelands, and his little sister Leia. They had all seen profound changes in their lives because of him. They had all unknowingly turned into little beacons of light themselves because Zeke had been gradually empowering them, helping them to grow and shine.

He had finally decided to fulfill his duty to his own father and help him out of the darkness. Zeke knew he had been shying away from the responsibility of clearing his father’s negativity, allowing it to pile up for far too long. His instinct told him it was time to purge it all. He wanted to cleanse his home of the evil and poisonous toxicity that had silently crept in and contributed to his mother’s ill health as well as Maya’s fractured state of mind.

He needed to fix things. He needed to heal his father. He chose to tempt fate and finally began speaking with him after many years of cold silence between them, and as he did, he realized how lonely Ben had been all his life. He was surprised to see how receptive his father was towards his advice. The man was growing older and needed help overcoming his issues and blocks. He was a victim of societal conditioning. All Zeke had to do was shine his light upon him.

He put his hand on his father’s shoulder. “What?” Ben was startled. “What do you want?” His tone was extremely frustrated and almost hateful, but Zeke’s positive energy had already started working on him.

“I want to listen to you, Dad, for the first time ever.”

“Listen… to what?” Ben could feel something he never had before. It was pure love from his own son and his power as a lightworker.

“To everything, Dad, to anything you want to say. I’m all ears.”

“What in hell are you going on about? If this is something from one of your space odysseys, just stop it right now.”

Zeke felt a surge of negative energy boiling out of his father’s body. But his own light was far more powerful than all of Ben’s pent-up rage and negativity. As Zeke tried to move in closer, Ben reacted more negatively. He grabbed Zeke’s collar.

“Look here, kid, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, but I’m not falling for it. After all these years, you expect me to believe that now? NOW? You want to listen to ME? No one here wants to listen to me. None of you care, you never have.”

Zeke almost wanted to cry once he saw how much sadness he had let his own father go through. Ben Tartal was painfully alone, and Zeke had to help him. He put his own hand on his father’s. “I do, Dad. I want to listen. Please, just give it to me straight. Let it all out now, while you still can.”

Zeke poured every ounce of his power into an appeal that his father could not look past, and that was when Ben let it all out — everything that had been eating him alive all his life. He wanted to hold his tongue, but his words betrayed him, and tears flowed from his eyes. He divulged all his pain, something he thought in a million years he would ever do.

Ben Tartal had always blamed his family for not being perfect, for his dreams being shattered, for all his unhealthy addictions, and for all that didn’t match the vision of a perfect life. Yet, the fact of the matter was that he secretly craved to be with his family and wished he could feel like one of them. He was lost and just didn’t know his way back. His entire life, he had been an outcast. His own parents never understood him, so why should his children? The more he was shunned, the more isolated he became. He turned to alcohol and gambling to fill the void felt by what he saw as abandonment. All his angst and his anger had come from his own insecurities and his fear of being left alone.

Zeke had turned into a true healer and a guide. He understood his father’s position better than anyone could, and he helped him along. He continued having conversations with Ben after that. At first, they were about mundane things — about sports, about cars, and even the weather, but eventually he helped his father see the bigger picture.

“Don’t you ever feel like you want to change, Dad?’ he asked him one day. “Don’t you feel like there’s more to life than whiskey and betting?”

“I… I do, Zeke. It’s very hard for me to admit, but I don’t like living like this. I want a normal life like everyone else. I want to live with my family, and I want my kids to look up to me, but how could you? Now I’m nothing but a drunken fool.”

At that moment, Zeke knew exactly what he needed to do. He again put his hand on his father’s shoulder and said, “Dad, there’s always time — time to heal and grow, and I’m sorry, sorry for making you feel this lonely. I am sorry for never opening up. I love you, Dad.” As he used the magic of Hawaiian healing on his father, he let the power of the divine of the Violet Flame flow into his father and purge him of all negativities.

Then Zeke convinced Ben to go into rehab, to which he reluctantly agreed. That was the first time he realized how powerful he had become. His gained power and skills had now turned him into a completely realized lightworker. Life was smooth for Zeke, Leia, and Mrs. Tartal for a while after that. Zeke had consistently performed well in his studies and was sure to finish high school with flying colors.

Mr. Leitner was also a lot happier in his life, too. Seeing Indigo Children gain a sudden popularity among young boys and girls made him feel happy and useful. The store had become the right tool for guiding young, impressionable minds who held the keys to the future. The young folk could learn more about the spiritual and metaphysical worlds through the various books, crystals, and other articles the store provided for them.

What they loved most, however, was speaking with old Mr. Leitner, who became a walking spiritual encyclopedia for them. They would sit on the floor gazing at him with eyes wide open, hanging on to every word, as if he were telling ghost stories to his own grandchildren. Zeke was happy to see Indigo Children flourish so much in such a short time as well. It was satisfying for him to see Noah make new friends and not feel as lonely anymore. The responsibility Zeke had taken upon himself to keep this old man happy was now being shouldered by many others his age.

• • •

Once Ben came home from rehab, he was a completely changed man. He had discovered his softer, nurturing side. He started to love being at home with his wife and children. He began cooking for Audrey and the kids and discovered that he had a skill for the culinary arts. He even started writing poetry. His ego was finally gone, giving way to an open and accepting man. He would often laughingly proclaim that he could have easily become a renowned chef had he started cooking a little earlier in life.

Ben and his wife had been living through an unsatisfying, unhappy, and cold relationship for years, and Ben took every chance he could to make up for that. He helped her, cared for her, and ensured she had everything she needed. All the manipulation and selfishness were gone, and Ben did everything in his power to make his wife feel loved. They had finally developed pure, selfless love and respect for each other. They both shared a love of food and cooking brought them closer. They nurtured their little garden together and took care of Coconut. Their sweet and loyal dog had grown old, and looking after him was a good way for them to heal. They loved being with their children as they saw their little kids grow into beautiful, talented, and promising young adults.

The most miraculous transformation, however, was in the relationship between Leia and her father. He had begun focusing on his daughter and truly paying attention to her needs and desires. The father-daughter duo was slowly becoming the best of friends because of their passion for automobiles. He began taking her to his garage again to teach her the nuances of cars and the tricks of his trade. Leia was on top of the world as, for the first time, she finally had a father in her life. His guidance helped prepare her for a successful career in the auto industry as well as a capable heir to his company. It was nothing short of a dream come true for her. It brought a gleam to her eyes, and Zeke could clearly see the glow of joy on her face every day.

Ben still had work to do on himself, however. His relationship with Maya was still strained and in dire need of repair. Audrey and Leia decided to throw Zeke a birthday breakfast party on Christmas morning, and as they celebrated his eighteenth birthday, fate brought them the best gift of all. Maya turned up after being gone for almost five days, and this time she had come to stay.

“Well, well. Look who’s back… the ‘prodigal daughter,’” Ben playfully teased, but was concerned nonetheless.

“Ben, please don’t start. It’s Christmas,” Audrey pleaded.

“Where have you been… darling?” he mockingly asked.

“With friends.”

“What friends? Who are they? Where do they live? Have I ever met them?”

No response.

“Ben, let’s save this for later,” Audrey firmly stated.

“Fine, fine. Let’s just sweep this under the rug, too. I’m going to need to build an addition on to this house to accommodate all that’s hidden under this ‘rug’.”

“Maya, we’ve missed you so much,” a joyful Audrey exclaimed, embracing her warmly.

“Yes, we have,” Ben concurred. “It’s good to have you home. You are here to stay, right?”

“I’m pretty sure.” Maya heaved a sigh of relief. She had been staying away from home off and on for the last year and hanging around boys older than her. Her attachment issues and her need to be loved led her to cling to a boy who was narcissistic and toxic. She stopped showing up at school, she almost never talked to her family, and she had spent many a night sleeping at friends’ houses and occasionally in random corners of town just to avoid going home. Everything she had gone through changed her from a little girl living in a fantasy world into a cynical teenager.

All those tormenting days she spent away from her family made her realize how much she needed them, and they needed her. She had distanced herself from them for so long, she didn’t know if they would accept her back. She chose Christmas to make amends. She knew it was Zeke’s birthday, and she learned from Leia that her father was trying hard to change. Seeing them potentially heal as a family made her feel like she, too, could finally be loved for who she was. She chose this day to ask for their forgiveness and finally be the daughter and sister she was meant to be.

That Christmas made the Tartals realize how much they loved and missed each other and how incomplete their family had been with Maya gone. It was a day of unmatched joy for her, too, as she felt the unconditional love of family for the first time in her life, something she feared she would never be able to feel.

Leia was the happiest of them all. For her, it was as if her childhood had returned: cuddling up under blankets on cold winter nights, listening to bedtime stories as Mother read them aloud, sharing dreams, goals, and clothes with Maya — even indulging in those friendly fights. As identical twins, they were like two halves of each other, two sides of the same coin. Whether they hated each other or loved each other, one was always incomplete without the other. Leia always felt like a part of her was missing and now she had that back. With Maya permanently home, the Tartal sisters started helping their father with the garage and learning the trade together. With Leia’s knowledge of cars and Maya’s understanding of sales, they had an unbeatable combination.

Zeke knew that all these little miracles were linked to the one missing week in his life. All this change was triggered by his journey to Egypt and all that he had learned about his past life as Ptah. He was a Lyran lightworker and keeper of the Violet Flame. The idea of having been a creator god sent chills down his spine. He still could not comprehend all that he had been and all that he had the potential to be. As a lightworker and one of the oldest souls in all of creation, he had the power to erase every thought of evil at will, but he was still a young man, and he had far more to learn.