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And that freaked Hale, mostly because his dad was apologizing, when Hale probably wouldn’t have heard it if he was where he was supposed to be.
Then again, he rarely got in trouble when he was with his father.
He was always in trouble one way or another when he was with his mom.
“Women can be…” His father took a sip. “It’s important to communicate very clearly with women.” He turned his head to Hale. “Do you understand me?”
Hale nodded. “Yeah, Dad.”
Corey twisted at the waist so he was leaning only on one forearm and facing Hale again.
Again, Hale mimicked him.
“There are many different kinds of people in the world, Hale. Don’t listen to the nonsense about stereotypes. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking women are all like your mother. Or like Tania. Because there are some who are like Genny.”
“Right,” Hale whispered.
After he said that, for a long time, his dad just looked at him. And it lasted so long, Hale started feeling weird.
Eventually, Corey spoke. “If I had one wish for you, it would be that you find someone like Genny. A woman who loves you and only you. I don’t mean she doesn’t love her friends, or the children you’ll have. I mean romantic love. I also don’t mean a woman who makes you her world, but instead, one that, you being in her world, completes it. Am I making sense?”
Not exactly.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Because that last part is important. You cannot be everything to a woman. It’s too heavy of a load to carry.”
“Like you were to Mom,” he guessed.
Hale felt warm inside when his father’s face registered pride that he’d guessed right.
“Exactly.”
“I don’t sleep good there,” Hale admitted quietly.
Now he saw his father’s face get tight, and even though he knew his dad was mad, that made him feel even warmer. Because his dad was mad for him.
“Right then, Hale. This is a lesson on the path to the man you’re going to be. I need you to think about this and tell me with honesty what you need. You’re growing up, and as you grow up and for your whole life, you’re going to have to make decisions. Daily. Everything from what you’re going to wear to what food you’re going to eat to fuel your body to things that will affect other people’s lives. People you don’t know, and people you know and care about. It’s late. You don’t have to make a decision now. I want you to try to get some sleep. You can tell me when you’re ready. When you’ve thought it over and feel you’ve made the right decision. But I need to know if you need me to handle things for you. And if you do, I swear to you, son, I will.”
Hale didn’t have to think on it.
“She’d never forgive me.”
It was then, it happened.
His father reached out, hesitated, and Hale held his breath. It felt like Corey’s hand was suspended in mid-air for years before he finally rested the side of it on Hale’s shoulder and curled his fingers around Hale’s neck.
That felt better than…than…anything.
“I don’t know how,” Corey whispered, “there wasn’t much good for us to give, but what there was, you got it.”
To hide he was going to cry like a wuss, he looked to the sea.
His father took his hand from Hale, and he missed it immediately, like it was everything he had, given and taken away in seconds.
“Promise me, you’ll find a Genny?” Corey asked.
“Yeah, Dad.”
