“Yeah.”
“And he’s in love with you?”
“Yeah.” Tate smiles.
“Good.” My father nods firmly. “Love is love, Zane. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. What matters is that you treat each other well.”
“We do.”
“Then I’m happy for you.” He looks at Tate. “You take care of my son. He’s had some hard times, but he’s got a good heart.”
“I will, sir,” Tate promises.
“And you,” Dad says to me, “you take care of him, too. Good people are hard to find.”
“I will.”
We sit without talking for a while. My father dozes off but doesn’t let go of my hand.
“This is nice,” he says, his eyes suddenly snapping open. “Having you here. Both of you.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t visited more often.”
“You’re here now. That’s what matters.”
A nurse comes in to check on him, the one named Linda who spoke to me about the unauthorized visitors months ago.
“How’s everyone doing?” she asks.
“Good,” my father says. “My son came to visit. And he brought his boyfriend.”
Linda smiles. “That’s wonderful. It’s so nice when family comes to visit.”
Family. Tate and I are family now, at least in my father’s mind.
“Robert’s been talking about this visit all week,” Linda tells us. “He may not remember details, but he remembers feelings. He remembers that his son loves him.”
“Even when I’m not here?”
“Especially when you’re not here. Love doesn’t disappear just because memory gets fuzzy.”
She leaves, and my father looks at me seriously.
“I want you to know something, Zane.”
“What?”
“I may not always remember your visits. I may not always know who you are when you walk in here. But I will always love you. That doesn’t change.”
“Dad... ”
“And I want you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“Promise me you won’t stop living your life because you’re worried about me. Promise me you’ll be happy.”
I look at the man who raised me, who taught me to skate and fight and not take crap from anyone. Who’s been fading away for two years while I was too scared to spend time with him.
