“A real adventure, Chili Pepper.”
Pepper didn’t know how to react to their expectant stares. “First dog people, now bird people,” she mumbled.
“They gave him a steroid shot.” Susan nodded like everything was in hand. “He should be getting discharged this afternoon.”
“I thought that you’d need me to look after you,” Pepper said softly.
“Honey, no! I didn’t want you or your sister to worry about me. I didn’t mean for the hospital to call.”
“We’re your daughters. Your blood. We worry about you.”
“That’s what I told him.” If Susan didn’t quit it with the sage nods, she was going to get a neck crick. “See, I have two of my own as well. Wren and Robin. Twins about your age. They’re working for a wild bird rehabilitation center in Massachusetts.”
“So a big Airstream trip, okay, okay, um, that sounds…” Pepper shook her head, completely out of her element. She didn’t know what to think about Susan, Wren, Robin, or bird nerds. “Impulsive.”
They both laughed, giddy as teenagers. “At our age, what’s the use in waiting? We aren’t getting any younger.”
“Life is for the living,” Susan added. “After Dom passed I made a pact that I wasn’t going to waste another moment. If I want to check off every bird in the Sibley North American bird guide, who is going to stop me? If I want to do it beside this handsome hunk o’ spunk who makes melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk pancakes, then life is good. I’m going to say yes. Right, Pepper?”
“Yes!” Dad punched the air. “Yes to it all.”
“So what are you doing all the way down in Georgia?” Susan asked. “We’ll have to come down and see the scissor-tailed flycatcher, and then go south for the Florida scrub jay. I’ve always wanted to visit Georgia. You must love it.”
The dam broke in her throat and Pepper burst into tears.
Five minutes later Susan had her set up with a lukewarm cup of Lipton while Dad rubbed her back like he did when she was a kid afraid of the dark.
“I—I-I-I’m supposed to take care of you.” She hiccupped. Great. She never could stop once she started.
“Chili Pepper, I’m going to say a few things that need saying. I am a grown man. And I love and appreciate the way you always want to look out for me. But stop using me as an excuse.”
“For what?” Another hiccup.
“Not living your own life. Now, don’t interrupt. I’ve let it go for too long because I thought you’d grow out of it, but let me be crystal clear. I am not your responsibility. I have set funds aside for myself, sweetheart. But I’d never ask you to shoulder my burdens. All I want in this world is for you and your sister to seize life with both hands and do what you love.”
Pepper’s shoulders slumped. “I do worry, though.”
Dad laughed. “Honey, I’m happy. My life is wonderful. Every day might not be good, but there is something good in every day. I’ve had the astounding fortune to have the two best daughters that anyone could have hoped to have. How many thousands of generations have conspired to produce you? How many chance meetings, and love, and sacrifice and hope? You are a blessing.”
When Pepper sniffled, she wasn’t alone.
“This man,” Susan said, mopping her eyes with her ball of wool. “This dear, dear man.”
“I know.” Pepper stood and kissed him on the deep crease in his forehead. “Promise that you’ll take it easier going forward.”
“Never,” Dad said. “Because what is life but a grand adventure?”
Pepper glanced to the corner table. It was covered with maps and guidebooks.
“I’d rather spend my retirement collecting moments than dust,” Dad said. “We are reading up on Niagara Falls, Graceland, the Black Hills, saguaro cactus, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, redwoods, the Pacific Ocean, but once we hit the open road, we’ll go where fancy takes us. The only definitive place we’ll be going is Georgia, of course.”
“How do you do that?” Pepper said.
“What, honey?”
“Live without a plan.”
Dad laughed. “What makes you think I don’t have a plan? I have one right here.” He tapped his forehead. “Wake up each morning, look around, and figure out how to live as much life as I can right now.”
