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“Yes, sir,” both young men answered at the same time and immediately followed me out of the room.
By the time we reached the truck, our frustrations had lifted, and we found ourselves laughing.
“Oh, my gosh, Peters’ face when he heard you were a general.” Cole bent over and held his stomach.
“I thought for sure we’d see his pants turn a deeper shade from the piss he was holdin’ on to.” Mark tried to speak through his laughter. “I wish so much that was filmed.”
“Please let us be there when you tell Frank,” Cole hooted. “He’s gonna lose it.”
“I want to know how that guy even got this far in the military,” I chimed in. “Who in their right mind would put that man in charge of anything, let alone be let loose in a high school with impressionable teens?”
Our sides hurt from all the laughter by the time we pulled in the driveway. I spotted Sue on the porch wrapped in a blanket. I couldn’t wait to tell her the story.
“Dibs on tellin’ Mom.” Cole was out the door before I even turned off the engine.
“You sure you want Mark to be in charge of bringing in dinner?” I called, laughing while Mark and I grabbed the takeout from Zack’s.
“Mom?” The tone in Cole’s voice had my senses on high alert, and I knew something was very wrong. I approached the porch slowly, my hands squeezed tight around the takeout bag.
“Dan,” Sue’s face was swollen, and her eyes were red and glossy.
“What is it?”
“It’s your father.” She sniffed loudly, removing the food bags from my hands and setting them aside. “He’s had a heart attack.” Her voice broke as cold water washed over me. She lowered her head for a moment and then looked up at me. “I’m so sorry, my love. He didn’t make it. He’s gone.”
As her words sank in, I reached for Cole and Mark and pulled them to me, needing an anchor. They wrapped their arms around me and squeezed hard. Our rock had been ripped away from us without warning. Cole pulled Sue in as she stood and came to us, and we huddled on the porch and mourned the best man who had ever lived.
* * *
“Daniel?” Sue stood in the doorway of the bathroom, face freshly washed and ready for bed. “I thought maybe we could take a hike to your dad’s old camping spot. Maybe the boys could spend a few days up there. Just liven things up a little.”
“That might be nice,” I reached out, and she came to me and pressed against my side then pulled my hand to her cheek.
“I miss him,” she sniffed.
“Me too.” I held her close as I let my memories have their way as the rain pelted the window.
It took a long time for me to find peace with my father’s passing. I tried to be there for my mother. She was inconsolable, but I did my best. I was so happy Sue was there for her when I was at a loss as to how to help. They spent hours talking about him, and I knew Mom was glad to have her. Cole and Mark hung their rifles on my office wall. My father had given the guns to them when the boys told us they wanted nothing more than to be in the Army. The M16s hung crisscrossed in memory of their last trip with Dad.
Sadly, it was only five months later that Mom took ill and left us too. Sue said she died from a broken heart, and I had to agree. With both parents gone, I had a new role to play in the house and even bigger shoes to fill for the boys. Lucky for me, I had the best sons anyone could ask for, the most supportive wife, and the best nanny ever. Not to mention an incredible doctor who checked in on me often. Who could ask for more? Times were changing fast around us, and all I could do was hold on and hope for the best.
After some time had passed and the weight on my heart became a little lighter, I tried to focus on things my father would have. He wouldn’t’ve wanted us to hurt. He would want us to carry on his legacy.
I walked into the living room of Shadows where Cole and Mark whispered together about something.
“Dad,” Mark’s face told me they were up to no good, “any chance we could get our hands on some of those smoke bombs Frank brought in for training?”
“Do I want to know why?”
“No,” Cole answered, deadpan. “You really don’t.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Meh.” Mark pressed his lips together and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Is it for the new guy, Paul?”
“Of course not,” they both lied at the same time.
