“Yeah,” I say, turning around when I hear the sound of a car engine. Dad pulls into the driveway. “He’s here. I gotta go.”
“Try to be nice, Gavin. He’s trying.”
“I will,” I promise. “Have a good night at work.”
I step off the porch and start walking toward my truck. It’s impossible to avoid Dad because the driveway is only so big. He gets out of his truck.
“Gavin,” he says.
I open my truck door and peer at him. “Dad.”
He frowns. In the sunlight, he looks older than usual, with dark circles under his eyes and wrinkles I haven’t seen before. “Son, I’m sorry about this morning.”
“It’s okay.” I don’t know why I say it, because it’s not okay, not really.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry for a lot of things.”
I nod. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him apologize before.
He sighs. “I got my job back. I’m gonna keep it this time. I promise you.”
I nod again. “That’s good.”
“Yeah.” He gives me a flat sort of smile and then scrubs his hand across his face. “I’m tryin’ kid.” Another sigh. “I’m gonna try.”
That might be the most heartfelt thing he’s ever told me. I meet his gaze. “Thank you, Dad.”
The whole drive to work feels like I’m living in someone else’s life. Someone with a little luck and hope in their future. I keep grinning for no reason when I think about what my dad told me in the driveway, how happy Mom sounded on the phone. Dad getting a job was important but the AA meetings might actually save him. This might be the start of something good for my family. Maybe Dad can heal from his addiction and become a real dad again.
And that’s making me think that maybe other things can heal, too. When I get to work, I head straight to Pete’s office.
“Do you think I could have the weekend off work?”
He shrugs. “Sure. You’ve been working your ass off lately.”
“I think I don’t have to do that anymore,” I say.
“Oh yeah? You got free time now?” he says, though I know he doesn’t really care. He just wants to get back to the game he’s playing on the computer.
I nod anyway. “Yeah. In fact, I think I’m going to help a friend with something I’ve been needing to do for a long time.”
