Page 34 of Hot Shot

“So what’s up?” he asks as he pours.

“I’m concerned about Mom.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“She’s not adapting well to retirement.”

“Huh.” He picks up his glass and gulps. “Why do you say that?”

“Haven’t you noticed? She complains all the time. She feels useless and . . . I think she’s lonely.”

Dad grimaces. “Really?”

“Yeah. I was thinking . . . maybe you could spend a little more time with her.”

“We’re together all the time!”

“Not when you’re out golfing or fishing or hanging out with your friends.”

He squints at me. “It’s not like I do that every day. Your mom and I are together a lot.”

“But what do you do? Do you take her out for lunch? Or . . . or go trampolining?”

Dad’s head jerks back. “Go what?”

I huff a laugh. “I went to a trampoline park last night. It was fun. Okay, maybe not for you, but do you two go on dates and do fun stuff?”

“Well . . .” The corners of Dad’s mouth dip down. “Not so much, I guess. But come on. We’re not teenagers.”

“I know. But you’re both retired now, and it’s a good time in your life to have fun together. She misses her friends from work.”

“She should make new friends.”

“I agree, but sometimes that’s not easy. I was going to give her some information I found about volunteer opportunities. There’s a nonprofit organization looking for someone to manage their office. She could easily do that. Then she’d feel more productive and she’d meet people. But I think she’d like to spend time with you, too.”

“Did she say that?”

“Not directly, but I got the feeling.”

Dad eyes me, his face softening. “You always get ‘feelings’ about things.”

I give him a wry smile. “Yeah.”

“And you’re usually right. The rest of us have no clue what’s going on around us and you’re picking up on all these signals.”

I blink at Dad. What he said is true: my family’s lack of intuition and empathy sometimes astonishes me, but I’ve learned over the years that’s just the way they are. All of them are focused on goals and plans, and I’ve always felt they look down on me because I like to dream and play and take photographs. Dad’s comment surprises me.

“Okay, kiddo, point taken.” He sips more tea. “Tomorrow I’ll take your mom out to the beach or something.”

I smile. “Yes! You two are both still healthy and active. Go for a walk on the beach or even a bike ride. Just make sure you spend some time actually talking to each other. She might want to talk about how she’s feeling.”

“In other words,you’retired of hearing about it.”

I grin. “No. Well maybe a little. But really, I just want her to be happier. That’s what retirement is supposed to be, right?”

“Right.”

“How comeyoudidn’t have an issue adapting to retirement?”

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