Tilting his head, Reid studies Jason for a moment, noting the slight hint of distaste in the young man's tone when he mentions his father. It's all too familiar to Reid, of course, his own father having been absent from his life for so long that he doesn't even know what William could truly have wanted for him.
"My dad left when I was a kid," he says, offering a wry smile as he glances back down at his plate to pick at the pie with his fork. "I didn't see him again for... oh, nearly twenty years. I had my doctorates, had my degrees, and I always said that was my best form of revenge on him but when he saw me, all he could do was ask why I chose to join the FBI. He said I could be making money, work in the private sector, and I just-- even though I already knew, that only secured how impossible it would be to ever have a relationship with him again. He didn't know me at all, he never did."
Shrugging a shoulder, he sets his fork down, suddenly not very keen on eating anymore pie at all. It isn't unusual, he feels sick talking about his father often enough, and it won't be long before the bitterness on the tip of his tongue goes away; but that's hardly Jason's fault, so he tries to make his smile a little more genuine.
"Neither of our dads knew us, it seems. But we're allowed to choose our own paths. I'm glad you're getting the chance to do that here, without your dad hovering over your shoulder."
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"My dad left when I was a kid," he says, offering a wry smile as he glances back down at his plate to pick at the pie with his fork. "I didn't see him again for... oh, nearly twenty years. I had my doctorates, had my degrees, and I always said that was my best form of revenge on him but when he saw me, all he could do was ask why I chose to join the FBI. He said I could be making money, work in the private sector, and I just-- even though I already knew, that only secured how impossible it would be to ever have a relationship with him again. He didn't know me at all, he never did."
Shrugging a shoulder, he sets his fork down, suddenly not very keen on eating anymore pie at all. It isn't unusual, he feels sick talking about his father often enough, and it won't be long before the bitterness on the tip of his tongue goes away; but that's hardly Jason's fault, so he tries to make his smile a little more genuine.
"Neither of our dads knew us, it seems. But we're allowed to choose our own paths. I'm glad you're getting the chance to do that here, without your dad hovering over your shoulder."