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“You still there, Luc?”
Shaking the past away, like he had done so many times before, Luc snapped back to reality. “Yeah. I’m here. Can you hold him till I get there?”
“Absolutely, my friend. See you soon.”
Luc lay in his bed, staring at the cell phone. The call was now disconnected, but he couldn’t help questioning the conversation he just had. Over the last year, his dad had gotten better with the gambling, or so Luc had thought.
Tossing his cell phone to the comforter, Luc’s glance moved along his walls. He had framed his Renegades jersey and hung it up. He had a stick signed by all his Renegades teammates, as well as one from his minor team. There was other memorabilia in his closet; he just never got around to putting them up. They would be best displayed in a large house with a man cave. His bachelor pad was nice, but not worth all his memories. Plus, in earlier years, he would’ve had to worry about bunnies taking them while he was asleep.
His phone buzzed again. Slowly reaching for his phone, he assumed it was Drake telling him how difficult his dad was being. But it wasn’t. This time it was Kassie. Her timing couldn’t have been worse.
Kassie: Since there’s no game tonight, you wanna grab some lunch or early dinner?
If only he could do that, rather than deal with his dad, who was more than likely drunk. Drake didn’t say as much, but Luc knew how things went at the casino. He played and won, then kept playing, and when his winnings ran out, he kept playing and added alcohol. That’s what Luc had done his early days alone in a big city. The next day hangover was never fun, either. It didn’t take long for Luc to figure out that wasn’t who he wanted to be.
Luc typed a message, explaining what his afternoon would be spent dealing with, then deleted it. She didn’t need to know all that mess. At least, not yet. Only his closest friends knew about his dad’s periodic alcohol issues. Luc wanted Kassie in his world, and that would include sharing this with her, but he just wasn’t sure that she would want to be that deep into his family issues yet.
The way she stood up to her brother about them was a good sign. But Luc needed some kind of a commitment before he disclosed anything too personal about his family. Maybe being an only child caused him to not be too trusting of others, or maybe he was overly trusting and had been hurt too many times. Whatever the case, he should be ready, but he wasn’t.
Luc: Wish I could say yes, but I have plans this afternoon. My dad is coming in.
At least it wasn’t a lie. He hated lying to people he cared about.
Kassie: Oh, okay.
Kassie: Maybe I can see you before you leave for the road trip?
He hated turning her down. He’d prefer to be spending his afternoon with her than babysitting his dad while he slept it off. Maybe if he cleared things up with his dad, and if his dad wasn’t too hung over when he woke up, they could meet up. Luc wouldn’t mind some fatherly advice, either.
Luc: Absolutely.
Luc: And sweets, if I can get away later, I’ll let you know.
Kassie: I’d like that. Hope you can.
Luc: Me too. I’ll see what I can do.
Things with Kassie were still weird since they’d slept together. They hadn’t defined what they were yet. Were they just friends with benefits, or were they a couple? It sure didn’t feel like just friends with benefits. All he knew was that he would spend every minute of every day with her if he could. That had to mean something.
There wasn’t much said as they left the casino, and Luc’s dad passed out as soon as they pulled away from the parking garage. There was no discussion, no excuses, just snoring. It was better that way. Luc was irritated and needed to calm down before they had this discussion. He let his dad finish his alcohol-induced nap in the guest room for the good part of the afternoon.
Not wanting to leave him alone, Luc stretched out on the couch and channel surfed. Sitting here was not his ideal plan for the afternoon. They didn’t have a game tonight, and he could’ve been hanging out with Kassie.
After about an hour, he was bored with television and picked up his cell phone. He wanted to text Kassie. Maybe having her here wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all. As Luc was contemplating that idea, the sound of the guest room door opening startled him.
His dad slowly shuffled out to the living room. His shoes scraped against the hardwood floor as he walked. He yawned before flopping down in the armchair. Luc studied him as they sat in silence. Luc was aware that his dad had aged, but the lines seemed deeper and the hair grayer since the last time he’d seen him.
Luc was the spitting image of his father, even though relatives and friends always told him he looked just like his mom. He didn’t have a lot of visual memories of her; his memory of her was more like just a sense of love. Referencing old photos, it was possible that he was the perfect blend of them both. The thought of him being like his mom made him happy and sad all at the same time.
His dad had the same haircut as Luc had, but his father’s was just less styled, and honestly, less neat than Luc’s. The back was shaved short, while the top was longer and brushed backwards. His eyes were once dark brown like Luc’s, but now they were dull and faded, like a stormy sky.
“Feel better, Dad?” Luc hated seeing his father like this. Maybe staying here for a few days would do him good. At least Luc could take care of him and make sure he stayed out of trouble.
His dad shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess. No worse for the wear. Thanks for picking me up, son. Sorry I had to drag you out for that. I thought I had everything under control this time.”
Luc could tell his apology was sincere, even if it was one he had heard all too often. Their relationship was a weird one. After his mom died, Luc’s father did his best, although it was a struggle while he worked through his grief. He was a kind man who had tried to teach Luc the value of honesty and hard work. But things seemed to get worse once Luc moved away to play hockey. Luc was sure that being all alone in that house had created in his dad that need for an escape.
The gambling was new, and not a common situation, as far as Luc knew. But then again, he wasn’t around all that much. And no matter what trouble his dad got himself into, he was still Luc’s dad. He had done his best as a single parent to raise Luc, and had still managed to push Luc to play hockey, and succeed. Luc owed him, and it might just be time to repay that debt.
