“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andy asked.
“It’s just not right—for you to be with her. She’s not one of us, and it isn’t right,” his father explained.
Andy was horrified at what he was hearing. His parents always taught him to treat everyone with equal respect. They taught him that everyone was different, and that he should love everyone for their differences. His heart was racing, and he was having a hard time controlling his temper.
“Dad, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, dammit. I said she’s not right for you, and I mean it. They aren’t like us, and it won’t work. Just like I told her dad it won’t,” Eldon repeated.
“Dad. You can’t mean that. You know better than that. How could you say something like that?”
“You mind your old man, son. Don’t talk back to me!” his dad shouted, becoming even more agitated.
“Dad, just relax. It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it.”
“You don’t tell me to relax! Why are you speaking to me like this? I’m your father!” he continued to shout.
With the commotion, a few of the nurses jogged into the room. They looked concerned, and their presence was not diffusing the situation. His father stood up from his chair and backed away from them, telling the nurses to leave him alone. Andy couldn’t bear to watch, so he escaped to the hallway. He wouldn’t leave until he had an update on what was going on with his dad, but he couldn’t watch.
This was not the first time his father had become agitated during a visit. Once he got to that point there was usually no talking him down. He had gone from slightly agitated to beyond the point of no return without much warning. Usually, Andy could read his father and knew if they were heading for danger. He should have realized his father had started to speak about the breakup as if it was currently happening. That was a big sign that the conversation needed to end.
One of the nurses left the room before returning a few moments later. Andy could see her holding a syringe. He assumed his father would be getting sedated, and it was his fault. Samira had been right about letting the past go. Knowing his dad’s condition, he had no business bringing it all up. He leaned against the wall and covered his face with his hands in an attempt to be less conspicuous while he tried to contain his emotions.
“Is he okay?” he asked a nurse as she walked from the room.
“Yes. He will be. He is just all worked up, so we gave him some medicine to calm him down. You can see him if you’d like.”
Andy thought for a moment before taking her up on her offer. “Okay. I should at least go in there and say goodnight. Thank you.”
Andy walked back into the room and saw his dad in the bed under the blankets. His eyes were closed, but Andy knew he wasn’t asleep yet. He sat down in the chair by his bed and watched him for a few minutes. Eventually his breathing slowedas he fell into a drugged sleep. His father deserved an apology, even if he wouldn’t likely remember anything anyway.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I shouldn’t have brought any of that up. Get some rest,” he whispered to his sleeping father.
***
Samira placed the kitchen chair at the edge of the deck, so she could catch the early morning sunlight. It was a cool morning, but she was determined to reap the benefits of working from home. If she didn’t have to be in her office, she didn’t want to be indoors at all. She wrapped the brightly colored throw blanket around herself and balanced her laptop on her legs. She took a sip of her hot coffee before setting it on the deck railing and made a mental note to purchase some outside furniture.
It didn’t take long before she got herself situated and focused on her work. No matter how much paperwork she did from her office, there would always be more. If she got into the routine of getting most of the behind-the-scenes work done from home, she hoped to have more direct interaction with guests and coworkers while she was physically at work, instead of spending the days holed up in her office. She felt guilty about only being at work four days a week, so she wanted to make sure her presence was known on the days she was there.
She didn’t hear Andy when he pulled into her driveway. She continued typing away on the computer until he stepped onto the deck and greeted her.
“Working hard?”
She jumped then quickly steadied her computer. “You just took two years off my life.”
Andy chuckled and made his way over to where she was sitting. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I pulled right into thedriveway and even rang the doorbell before I came back here. You must really be concentrating on something.”
“Just boring forms for work. Shouldn’t you be out on the water?” she asked before checking her watch. “Oh. It’s later than I thought. I didn’t realize I worked right on through lunch.”
“I caught my limit pretty early. I’ve already been home to shower and everything,” he explained with an easy smile.
“Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
He shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood.”
Samira laughed. “You live like five minutes away; you’re always in the neighborhood.”
“Do you have much work left? I was heading into town if you want to join me.”
