“Hey, there!”he called out with a burst of excitement.“You just missed the news.A farming truck turned over, and they got chickens wandering all over the freeway.By the way, that chicken-fried steak you made was real tasty.Why do they call it chicken-fried when there’s no chicken in it?”He cackled and set his lap tray beside him.“You gonna hide in there all night or come say hello?”
“Dad, I have a visitor.You remember Mr.Cross.”
Lucian stepped out of the elevator with me.
My dad’s face tensed up.He never got visitors down here.“I remember.The Shoe Bandit.”
“Mr.Cross and I have a lot of work to do tonight.You know how busy my schedule is, so this was the only time I could fit him in.I plan to make a quick business trip to Austin, maybe as soon as tomorrow, and that’s throwing off my schedule.Anyhow, he came up with a lot of good ideas for the security setup but can’t finalize anything until he has a look down here.”
“Ain’t nothing to see but four walls.”
I approached the bed while stretching my left arm behind me to give Lucian some slack.“It’s his job.”After kissing my father’s forehead, I stepped back.“Did you try the pie yet?It’srhubarb,” I sang.
My father was fixated on the Chitah glued to my side.
“How’s your breathing today?”I asked before examining the oxygen level on his tank to see how much was left.
“I don’t need that thing tonight,” he insisted.
“Let’s turn it on low then.Okay?”When I bent over, Lucian had no choice but to do the same.
He pretended to be helping.“Don’t they have larger machines for sleeping?”Lucian examined the tank and knocked on it.“Seems archaic.”
My dad chuckled.“That’s what they say about me.”
After I collected my dad’s food tray, Lucian and I performed an awkward turn toward the kitchenette.My father couldn’t see us since the TV eclipsed his view.
“You can easily convert this into the surveillance room,” Lucian said.“I don’t see any integrity issues, and it’s already wired.Shouldn’t be difficult to set up.”
I cut my dad a slice of pie and plated it.“Fill that green thermos with ice, will you?”
“Why not the red one?”
“Because the red one is for the morning and the green is for night.”
His eyebrows knitted.“Shouldn’t the nighttime one be blue?”
I put the lid back on the pie plate.“Now you know what to get him for Christmas.”
When Lucian reached into the freezer, the chain yanked my arm, causing me to smack into him.
“They say it might rain,” my dad informed me from across the room.“I miss the smell of rain.”
“You’ll smell it soon enough,” I promised him.
After Lucian finished putting ice in the thermos, I turned on the faucet and filled it with water.This felt like a comedy act, and I tried desperately not to laugh at our antics.
“Dad, are you gonna be okay without me?It’s only for tonight.If you need anything, you can call my phone.Mr.Cross and I will be going over the security plans, but I’ll come down to check on you before I go to bed.”
“Don’t bother,” he said, but I could tell he wasn’t mad about it.
I grabbed the dish and turned in the wrong direction.Lucian and I twirled around each other for a minute before he followed me.“Is everything okay?Did you take your vitamins?”
“You take ’em.”
He was certainly in a mood tonight.
I approached the table where we kept his medication, and today’s container was empty.“I’m sorry I can’t keep you company.”After handing him the pie, I adjusted his covers where they had twisted around his knees.
