Page 58 of Rough

I really didn’t know. Telling him an exact amount would be impossible.

“I really don’t,” I said.

“Ten?”

I laughed. “No. You don’t want to know.”

“More?”

“Pop…”

“Twenty?”

I lowered my head and sank my teeth into my bottom lip as I tried my best to count, focusing only on the women who immediately came to mind.

“God damn, Son. More?”

I nodded. “I really don’t know.”

“How can a man claim to be a man if he’s dipped his dick in twenty women? That’s not manly, it’s chicken-shit. We weren’t put on this earth for that. I know good and god damned well you didn’t love those women.” He leaned forward and widened his eyes. “God damn, Son. Twenty? Jesus jumped up Christ.”

He looked disgusted. And disappointed. He relaxed against the back of his chair and shook his head.

I rested my forearms against my knees and gazed down at the floor. This was something I’d avoided discussing with him, for good reason. I reached up to stroke my beard, and then realized it was gone.

“It’s more than twenty, isn’t it?” he asked. “Christ on a fuckin’ crutch, Son. How many? I’m not here to crucify you, but let’s be men about it. If you’re going to be honest, be honest.”

“I don’t know for sure, but maybe like fifty or something.” I looked at him. “It’d be hard to say, really.”

“Fifty? Fifty? Are you fucking around, or being serious?”

I really didn’t want to have this talk. I took a deep breath, met his gaze, and responded. “Serious. Fifty. Something like that.”

He sat up in his chair and glared at me. “How in the fuck does a man even do something like that?”

“Pop…”

“Go make me a cup of coffee,” he said.

“Mom said--”

“I don’t give a shit. I want a cup of fuckin’ coffee. Go make me one. Make you one, too.”

“Are you sure it won’t--”

“Go!”

I made a pot of coffee, then carried the two cups into the living room. “Made ’em just like we used to drink ‘em when I was a kid.”

He took a sip, and then raised the cup. “Nectar of the Gods.”

I sat down on the couch, knowing damned good and well that a lecture was coming. I wanted the day to be over, so I could take care of business. I glanced at my watch.

It wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. yet.

“Alright. Back to being serious,” he said.

Well, fuck.