Page 3 of Since the Day We Wished

“Ah, Mr. Grayson. Yes, I need to talk with you about your son, Jeremiah.” Mr. White cleared his throat. “This morning he got into another fight with a male student, who was sent to the school nurse with a bloody nose.”

Luke’s heart sank as he heard the principal’s words. He took in Mr. White’s recounting of his seventeen-year-old son’s disruptive actions: the truancy, the fights, the rebellious angst that had become a shadowy specter since the death of his mother, Kate, nearly two years ago. Now at the age of forty-two, life had brought him through a tapestry of trials, yet the raw, relentless test of guiding his son through this turbulent time was a challenge that left him as uncertain as a ship in a storm.

After a pause, Mr. White continued. “I spoke with the young man and a few other witnesses, and it seems that Jeremiah was the one who instigated it. He’ll be suspended for the rest of the week. We understand things have been difficult for you both, but the discipline policy states that Jeremiah could be expelled, since this isn’t the first incident, as you know. There’ll be a hearing with the board in a few days to make that decision. We’ll call you with the details.”

Once the principal finished, Luke thanked him and ended the call. He let out a long breath, slumping back into his chair. His meetings for the afternoon would have to be canceled; he needed to pick up Jeremiah from school.

As Luke gathered his items to leave, he found himself lost in his thoughts, grappling with a difficult truth. For years, he had tried to justify his absence from Jeremiah’s life. As a financial consultant at one of the top firms in Chicago, work had always kept him away from home, traveling often to meet clients across the country. Kate learned to live with it, but Jeremiah never did.

After her diagnosis, Luke made a conscious effort to be a more present husband and father. He cut back on business trips and accompanied her to every doctor’s appointment and chemo treatment. Even with the care of the best doctors in the country, the cancer had progressed to stage IV, and they were faced with the harsh reality that Kate had, at most, a year to live.

When he took time off from work to care for her, Jeremiah’s frustration with him only grew. They would have frequent shouting matches, with Jeremiah blaming him for not being there during his childhood, which Luke couldn’t deny. It was true he had missed many important events, like soccer games and piano recitals, due to work obligations.

As the days passed after Kate’s death, Luke struggled to bridge the growing divide between him and Jeremiah. Although they both sought solace in the guidance of a grief counselor, Jeremiah’s animosity toward his father continued to escalate. Kate always had a way with Jeremiah, and now that she was gone, he thought it would be impossible to connect with his teenage son.

Luke could see it now, clear as day, that his absence had left a void in Jeremiah’s life. His heart ached with guilt as he realized he had failed his son in a profound way.

He grabbed his coat, and headed out the door, passing Jeannie’s desk. “Can you cancel all my afternoon appointments? I need to go pick my son up from school.”

For years she’d been a godsend to Luke, always two steps ahead, executing tasks with surgical precision and had the foresight of a pro chess player. He marveled at her ability to handle anything at a moment’s notice without breaking a sweat. Luke never quite figured out how she managed to do it all.

“Consider it done.”

“What would I do without you? Thanks, Jeannie.”

Luke pulled up to the school, noticing the gray clouds hanging low in the sky, threatening to unleash a downpour. As he waited for Jeremiah,he recalled the advice from a parenting blog he had read earlier in the week:Breathe. Ask questions. Don’t lash out.

When his son finally emerged, it was as if time had unfolded upon itself. Jeremiah’s features held an undeniable resemblance to his father—a rugged handsomeness, defined by a strong jawline, dark tousled hair, and the piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words. In that moment, Luke saw his own troubled journey through adolescence, a reminder of the grace they both desperately needed.

As Jeremiah slid into the passenger seat, Lukebraced himself for the impending surge of anger and defiance he had expected. He was determined to become the committed father that his son deserved.

On the car ride home, they sat in complete silence, the only sounds coming from the occasional tapping of raindrops on the car roof and the hum of the engine. As they drove, the wind picked up causing the smaller trees to bend under its force. Luke thought about how the weather reflected the storm brewing inside him. He knew he couldn’t keep ignoring Jeremiah’s behavior, but he also didn’t want to make things worse by punishing him.

Later that evening, Luke turned off his phone and cooked dinner. It surprised him that Jeremiah, who had been holed up in his bedroom, had joined him at the kitchen table.

This was a rare occurrence.

As they ate, the silence between them was deafening. “Do you want to talk about what happened today?” Luke asked, trying to break the ice.

“Not really.”

“Well, we’ve got to change something, Jeremiah. You can’t keep getting into fights like this. The principal is talking about expelling you.”

“So what? I’ll go to another school. Or maybe I won’t go anywhere anymore. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Luke slid his plate aside, his appetite vanishing in an instant, replaced by a deep sadness. The weight of remorse lodged itself in his chest as he looked into his son’s eyes, seeing the hurt reflected back at him. He hated himself for not knowing how to connect with his own child, for not being there when Jeremiah needed him the most. Pausing, he drew in a deep breath as he searched for the right words.

“Jeremiah, I know I’ve messed up big time. I’ve missed out on a lot of important stuff in your life, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should’ve been. I let you down, buddy, and I can’t change that. But you gotta know that I love you more than anything, and—”

“Just stop. It doesn’t matter now,” Jeremiah said, picking apart a piece of bread on his plate.

Luke reached out to touch Jeremiah’s arm. “It does matter, son. I’ll never be able to change the past, but I want to make things right. I know it will take time and—”

“I told you; I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Just leave it alone!” Jeremiah shot up from his seat and brought his plate to the sink.

Luke nodded. “I understand. But please know that I’m here for you whenever you’re ready to talk. I love you and I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, whatever.”Jeremiah kept his back turned, avoiding eye contact as he walked away.

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