‘Hey, Dad,’ I hoped he couldn’t hear the twinge of disappointment in my tone.
‘You alright, son?’ His familiar rasp filtered down the phone. Comforting and steadying.
‘Yeah, not too bad.’
He let out a throaty chuckle. ‘Not what I hear,’
I instantly went on alert. ‘What’re you on about?’
‘I have another son you know.’
I scrubbed my face, smothering a frustrated sigh. ‘And what did he tell you?’ My voice a lot harsher than I intended.
Dad sighed. ‘I’m not the press, Ol. I just want to know what’s going on in my son’s life.’
My shoulders drooped. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just been a lot… you know,’ I said softly.
He hummed. ‘Of Course I know. I know better than most.’ My dad was a man of few words but the ones he did speak were straight to the point. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
My phone buzzed with another incoming call.Tony.I sent it straight to voicemail—focusing all my attention back on Dad.
‘So you gonna tell me about the girl? Or do you want me to pretend I don’t know anything and wait until you tell me yourself? I’ll warn you though, I’ve only got so many years left,’ Dad rasped. As if punctuating his point, a cough racked through him. Acid rose up my throat, souring my gut.
‘Sorry, I’ve not been to see you more.’ My voice wavered. ‘I’m gonna try and be better.’ I nodded resolutely.
Breathing clearer, Dad chuckled. ‘You’ve always needed to do things on your own and in your own way.’
I swallowed thickly. ‘Still… it’s not okay that I pushed you away. I was an arsehole.’
Dad didn’t say anything for a while. ‘Dad?’ I called out, thinking I’d lost him.
‘This girl really has done a number on you hasn’t she?’ he wheezed.
I didn’t have it in me to lie anymore. ‘I think’—the words caught in my throat—‘I think I’m in love with her.’ If love was the ever present sense of dread following me when she wasn’t around, and the complete and utter joy when she showed up? If that was the love they write about in all those sappy songs?
Dad broke through my thoughts, ‘Feels awful doesn’t it?’
A surprised laugh punched from my chest. I could hear the smile in his voice.
‘Feels awful when you don’t know if they feel the same way… but when they do…’ he whistled softly. ’It’s the best feeling in the world.’
‘Did loving mum ever scare you?’
Without hesitating, ‘Every day of my life. When you’ve got something that beautiful, the fear of losing it can damn near choke the life out of you.’ Reading where my thoughts had gone, Dad clarified. ‘But I wouldn’t change a thing about me and your mother. She was the light of my life… still is,’ he added sadly. My parents were the definition of ‘it’s better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all.’ Growing up, I was one of the few kids whose parents were still together. Not just together, but sickeningly in love. They stayed that way. Right up until the very end.
I opened my mouth desperate to get this entire thing with Fallon off my chest, when my phone buzzed a second time. ‘Dammit.’ I grumbled, sending Tony to voicemail again.
‘Everything okay? Dad asked.
‘Yeah, Tony keeps trying to get hold of me.’ As soon as those words left my mouth, a text message lit up my phone screen. ‘I’m sorry, Dad. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back.
‘Alright, son. I love you.’
His tone filled with so much warmth, I could cry. ‘Love you too, Dad.’
We hung up. I didn’t have time to read the message Tony sent me because his name popped up on my screen once more.
‘You’re a persistent bastard’
