Oh, she absolutely was.
“That depends on your future behavior, oh, sneaky one,” she joked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Then, she went there.
“What went down?”
He told her.
“He’s still angry at me, and he pushed me to the point I got angry and exploded. I told him off and walked out. Now, I feel bad. He’s entitled to have his feelings.”
She shared.
“And so are you. Ethan is tough,” she said. “He’s going to come around. You just have to be patient. You just have to be calm,” she added.
He.
Was.
Aware.
Only, he didn’t have much time left. Despite doing the chemo, he knew at some point, he was going to expire. He could feel it in his gut.
What he’d wanted to spare them all from was exactly what he couldn’t.
This was the long goodbye.
His body would give out, and he’d be forced to see his family crying and losing him.
Yeah, he’d fight, but he was well aware that the shit was going to happen.
That was going to suck.
“I had hoped this would change our relationship,” he admitted. “I wanted to take that walk into the smoke with him, so maybe, just maybe, he’d forgive me. I know I haven’t been the best father.”
She held his hand.
“No, but no one is a perfect parent. We all make mistakes. Duke is edgy, and I want to help him, but sometimes, the best thing we can do is let our kids work through it alone.”
He knew she was right, but it still hurt and upset him to know that he and Ethan might end up estranged during their last days.
“Have you reached out to him?” she asked. “Maybe text him, and see if you can open a line of communication?” she asked.
He shook his head.
Caryn picked up his phone and handed it to him. It was clear that it was bothering Wyler enough that letting it go and having it work itself out was not an option.
That meant he needed to take the next step. While Ethan was just as stubborn, he wasn’t irrational. He was aware his time was likely limited with Wyler.
Her money was on him.
When he took the phone, he began typing, and he settled on one simple text message.
Hopefully, it would help—not hurt.
‘Son, I know you’re angry with me right now, but I want to just tell you that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have walked out in anger. I’m just desperate to fix what’s broken between us before I run out of time.Please forgive me. Hopefully, we can talk later if you’re available. I love you. Dad.’
He showed Caryn, and she hit send.
