Page 16 of Be My Summer

I nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

He freed my foot but kept other parts of me in his hand, holding on tight. I didn’t think I’d ever get them back. In fact, I thought he’d acquire much more than he already had when it was all said and done. Strangely, I didn’t bother trying to retrieve my things. He could have them. For now, at least.

“I should get you back to your car.”

“Yes. Yes you should.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Sums– you out here?” My father coughed out.

His lungs were trying their hardest to keep up with life’s trenches. Each day he woke up was another reason to thank God for his grace. The idea of being a fatherless child was far more haunting than being the motherless child I’d been since I kissed the air–crying, kicking, and screaming.

Chuckling, I responded, “Yes. I’m out here.”

“You need anything?”

“I don’t, Dad. Just for you to go sit down. I’m fine.”

“You sure? Have you eaten?”

His voice got closer and closer, filling me with concern. I sat up, pushing my elbows into the cushion I’d wrapped in fabric for a softer landing each time my thoughts became unbearable and the inside of our home began to suffocate me.

“Dad, please don’t come out here. The air quality su–”

“I’m not. I just want to lay eyes on you.”

He was in my line of vision, now. I wanted to lay eyes on him, too. That smile let me know that he was fine. He waved me off.

“You worry too much, Sums.”

“You’re all I have, old man. My heart worries about living longer without you than I was privileged to live with you. Don’t break my heart so soon.”

“I won’t. I’m going to leave you to your books. I’ll be inside if you need me. Alright?”

The grunting that followed his words let me know he was concealing the coughs that were threatening to rock his entire frame. His slim frame disappeared behind the curtain in an instant. I closed my eyes and released a shaky breath.

His oxygen level was dangerously low. It had been decreasing slowly for the last four years. As his condition worsened, so did my sanity. It didn’t matter how hard I tried, I could hardly get a grip on life knowing it could change at any second.

I rested my back against the cushion and buried my nose in the pages of the romance novel that was playing out on film in my head. Sandra and Adonis were the sweetest pair. The perfect match. The ideal couple in my eyes.

Flickering lights surrounded me. The sun powered them, preparing them for our nightly reunion. Pillows surrounded me. All covered in thrifted, luxury fabric I’d collected over the years. Sheer curtains lined the ceilings of the back, screened-in porch my father had built onto the house for me after discovering my love for reading.

Escapism.

Fiction.

Romance.

Rainy days.

Summer nights.

Fall evenings.

And words.

As I settled in again, my cell chimed beside me. A rhythmic vibration followed the soft tunes that played near my ear.