AllFreeNovel
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“Thanks.” Our green eyes hold one another’s as we tip our bottles together in a “cheers.”
I tip the bottle back, downing a quarter of the cold bubbly liquid with my first sip. I set the bottle down next to the sandwich. “You seem to be doing better, Pops.”
“I’m doing well.” He smiles at me, a real smile, his old one from before. Watching it appear hits me square in the chest. I haven’t seen him look this good…
Since she died.
“I’m doing well,” he says again. He takes a long sip of his drink. “Really well.”
I grin back at him. “Good.”
“I think it was your visit,” he says. “Really set some things in perspective for me. Made me realize what’s really important.”
I think back over our visits over the past month. We kept it light. Shared some meals, read in his living room. Did some yard work. Had a few drinks. I’m not sure what he means, what I did to give him clarity.
Not one to dig deeper than he wants to share, I say, “I’m glad.”
I eat while he sits, staring out over the grassy lawn, that smile still on his face. He doesn’t touch his food, taking small sips from his beer every once in a while. I feel better about leaving now. He’s turned a corner. I don’t want to pry into his mind, scared any question I might ask could do something to darken his good mood.
But I have one question nagging at the back of my mind. Will he ever go back to the house he and Mom shared? “Are you staying here now?”
“Yes. For a short time. Then I’m going home.” His smile deepens as his eyes meet mine.
“I’m happy to hear that.” Relief floods me. If he’s able to move back to the house he lived in with my mother, to be in a place where everything reminds him of her, he is doing better.
I wrap up his untouched sandwich. “Put this in the fridge. You can have it for dinner.”
“Sure,” he says. He stands, giving me a brief hug. “Have a safe flight tomorrow.”
“It’s an early one,” I say. “I don’t want to wake you.”
He nods. “That’s fine. We can say our goodbyes now.”
I embrace him one more time. He holds me a little tighter. “I love you, son. I need you to know that.”
My response chokes off in the back of my throat. “Same.”
He grabs my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length, taking one long look at me before I leave the island.
We say our goodbyes.
“Don’t forget to put the sandwich in the fridge,” I say.
“Yeah,” he says. “I’ll remember.”
I leave, a weight off my shoulders. I’m crossing the field back to my place when my phone rings. It’s Caesar. My thoughts instantly go to Lindy.
“Caesar?”
“Everything’s alright,” he says before I can ask. “She’s fine. Still swimming—”
“Still?” I look out over the ocean. I can’t see them from where I am. “It’s been almost an hour.”
“She looks strong. It’s just that she headed toward the docks. I’m not sure why. But she is going to exhaust herself if she doesn’t get out soon.”
I swallow down nothing. “Yeah—pull her out. Now. Please.”
“Will do.”
