Chapter 20
It was mid-afternoon before Harrison managed to make the call. Fulfilling this long-standing promise was the last thing he had to do. Then, he could fall apart.
The phone picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, Uncle Jeff.”
“Harrison.” He could hear the smile at the other end of the line. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m letting you know,” he paused, clearing his throat, “I’m heading into blue.”
Jeff’s office chair creaked in the background as he stood up. “I can be there in thirty minutes.”
“No, don’t.” He shook his head, even though his uncle couldn’t see it. “I’m good. I’m prepared.”
There was hesitation, and then, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He sat on the edge of the couch in his living room, his head held in one hand while the other pressed the phone to his ear. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve got food?”
“Yes.”
“Have you arranged for time off work?”
“Until the end of next week.” He listened to his uncle’s breathing for a moment, hoping he wouldn’t go all panic stations and show up at the door. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Uncle Jeff. I know what I’m doing.”
“I know, son.” Harrison could picture his uncle pacing the length of his home office as he considered his response. “You’ll call me if you even think there’s a possibility you’re turning red.”
Harrison closed his eyes. “I promise.”
Red. It was the one colour Harrison never wanted to say. Blue was better. Blue was a darkness he could come back from. Red would mean he’d lost all hope, his gaze fixed on a paradise he’d never believe was there.
“Please, don’t tell Aunty Cel,” he said, appalled by the shakiness of his own voice. “I don’t want her to worry.”
Jeff sighed down the phone line. “You stay in contact and I won’t have to. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Good man. I’ll be over in two days to touch base.”
Harrison had expected that. He wasn’t about to argue. He didn’t have the energy and it wouldn’t do any good anyway. “Sure thing,” he said. “I’ll make you a cup of tea while you’re here.”
“Tea? Why would you make me tea?”
Yesterday his uncle’s confusion would have made him smile. Yesterday. But not today. “I’ve heard it’s good for the soul.” The weight on his chest increased until he struggled to breathe. “I have to go. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
After he hung up the phone, Harrison rose from the couch and closed the living room curtains to block out the last of the daylight. It would be night soon, and he didn’t want to have to watch as the sun went down.
