“Hey, how are you doing today?”
“Not bad for someone who is getting a little better every day.” Hearing the lightness in his voice, I know he’s telling me the truth.
“What’s on today’s agenda—are you still seeing your therapist?”
“Yes, I am. But we’re down to two sessions a week.” He chuckles. “I promise, I’m in good hands down here without you.”
“I wasn’t saying that you aren’t, I’m just keeping tabs on you.”
“You and your tabs. Thank you again for the maid service. I asked the company to pare it back and come only once a week, though. I thought two times a week was overkill.”
“Warranted, though?” Diagnosed with hoarding disorder about eighteen months ago, my father has been busy working on himself. That is one good thing about my AHL contract: it allowed me to get my father the help he needed.
“To be fair, yes. But, again, I’m stronger every day.” He’s quiet for a moment. I get a vision of him sitting in his armchair in his two-bedroom apartment in Sarasota. His place is clean and open, the way he wanted it to be, with tile floors and plenty of sunshine spilling in. “You don’t have to always be worried about me now, Jake. I will be better. I am better.”
“I know, but you’re my dad.” It’s been just the two of us for so long, and the last few years I’d taken charge of the parent role. How can I explain to him I’m not ready to let it go even though he may be? “Good timing, though. I’m standing in the grocery store staring at the shelves.”
“Sounds riveting. Are your contract negotiations going okay?”
“They’re going. Hopefully, in the next few days, Travis will get everything lined up.”
“You don’t sound that excited.”
“Well, there’s this thing that’s happening…”
“A thing?”
“A girl. A woman. There’s a woman that’s happening to me and I can’t shake it, Dad.”
“Ahhh, young love. I think I can cast my mind back to those days. Is she all you can think about?”
That and this can of corn.“Yeah.”
“When I met your mother, it was almost instantly that I knew she was the one meant for me, but it took us a long time to get together. Mostly because I was so nervous, but also because she was pretty intimidating.”
“Really?” Having never really gotten to know my mother, I always tune in when he tells me stories about her. “I’ve seen pictures of her, she was petite. What was so intimidating?”
“Her presence,” he says with a laugh. “She made sure you knew she was in the room just by walking in. Powerful woman and didn’t even know it. But, I got over myself and made sure I let her know I was there to win her over.”
This is a side of my dad I love getting. “How?”
“I told her. We were friends and in college. There was a group of us who went to dinner one night. Walking back to campus, I lingered at the back of the pack and asked her to walk with me. It was that night I told her my intention was to win her over and do everything in my power to let her see I was the man for her. The one she deserved because I was falling for her.”
I could see him doing it, and it made me grin. “What did she say?”
“She laughed at first, but then stopped walking and realized I was serious. From there, the love story began.”
“Noted. And also a little scary.”
“Did I hear that right? My son, Jake December, being scared?”
“Funny thing is, I think I’m ready for something more in my life.” Leaning against the shelf, I drop the basket by my feet. Phone therapy session with my father, aisle nine. “Not that I mean more than hockey, but more than the usual. Like…roots.”
“Ah, so you’re wanting more than Posh? Hope she handles the news with grace and dignity.”
“Aren’t you a comedian. But you know what I mean, right?”
“I do. And all I can say is that if you feel in your heart and your soul that this woman is worth the fight, then I’m going to recommend you fight for all it’s worth. Having the love of an amazing person on your side, having them in your corner when the going gets rough? That’s everything, if you ask me.” He then clears his throat. “And, having said the word fight, I think we can segue into why I’m really calling.”
