Page 26 of Hot Four Teacher
“You just have that look about you.” He eyes me up and down.
“What look?”
“The same look you gave me when you were ten and asked if you could ride your skateboard off the roof and into the pool.”
I smile just thinking about it. “Yeah, and you yelled and told me no–pretty loudly.”
“I was even louder when you did it anyway and broke your arm.”
We both chuckle, and I say, “Yeah. Good times.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Well, I know that you love it here–”
He cuts me off. “Dane, don’t start with this shit again.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Oh, I’m sure I do,” he argues.
“Okay, well, how about you listen anyway. Let me say what I need to say, and then, you can respond however you want.”
With a deep sigh, he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “Fine. I’ll give you two minutes.”
“Alright. I know that you like it here, but I found an assisted living facility that’s closer to where I’m living now.” I pull the brochure out of my pocket and hand it to him.
He reluctantly takes it and starts perusing it while I continue. “It’s a really nice facility. They have all sorts of amenities, and the apartments are double the size. They have a pool and a sauna. It even has a golf course on the property. Plus, it’s only about twenty minutes from my new place.”
“Dane, I don’t like this place because of theamenities.”
“Clearly,” I mutter under my breath.
He folds up the brochure and hands it back to me.
“Dane, do you remember when I first had that heart attack? The doctors were so worried about me that they put me in here. I was so pissed that I wouldn’t talk to you for a week.”
“Oh, I remember.”
“I thought I was going to hate it. I felt like my independence was being stripped away from me. But when I got here and let my guard down a little, I realized how much I loved it. I found some friends and for the first time in my life, I felt a huge weight lifted off me. I got to enjoy my life without responsibilities. No military to serve. No house to take care of. No kids to raise. No offense.”
“None taken.”
“My point is that now, I get to relax. I hang out with friends. I do activities throughout the day. I get to nap whenever the hell I want. I’m living the dream. I have no intention of going anywhere else.”
“If it’s about the money–”
He cuts me off, “It’s not.”
As I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, he says, “Son, why don’tyoutell me what this is about?”
“I just think it would be nice to have you closer to me,” I tell him.
“A, you’re the one who moved further away. And B, you told me yourself that it’s not much further. It’s not like you’re hours away.”
“What if something else happens?” I question. “What if you have another heart attack?”
“What if I do? Are you going to save my life?”
