Elias chuckled, watching as Penny darted after a squirrel that quickly disappeared up a tree. Chuck lumbered after her, barking in excitement.
“Ain’t that the truth? So, he says, ‘I’m missing a bottle of bourbon.’ And that’s all he says, right? Doesn’t accuse me, doesn’t yell, just smiles like we’re talking about the weather.”
“What did you do?”
“I just shrugged and I started to lie down again. And he says, ‘You haven’t seen it?’ And I told him nope. ‘I’m hoping you can help me look for it, because it’s gotta be around here somewhere,’ he says. Then, he gets up and opens the shade until the light’s just pouring in.”
“Serves you right!”
Elias laughed as they watched Penny circle back to them, her energy never seeming to wane. Chuck stared up into the tree as if the squirrel might just fall out of it.
“Yeah it does.” Elias chuckled again. “So I groaned and tried to keep the contents of my stomach inside. ‘You sure you haven’t seen it, son?’ he asks again.”
Wren whistled to get Chuck’s attention. He lumbered back to her side.
“And you still denied taking it?”
“Told you I was terrible.”
Wren clucked her tongue. “The worst. So he made you get up and look for the bourbon during the worst hangover of your life?”
“Oh no, my dad did something way worse than that. He went back to the window and pulled the shade back down. ‘I can see you’re feeling poorly,’ he says. ‘I’ll let you sleep and I’ll just look for it myself. Feel better, son.’ And he has the biggest look of disappointment on his face.”
Wren winced as they stepped over a furrow made by a twisting stream of water, her expression mirroring the pained look Elias imagined he’d had back then. “Oh, God. So did you fess up the next day?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, Elias.”
“Yeah, I know. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I had it all twisted up in my head by then. You know, how dare he act like he didn’t know? That shit. He never brought it up again. Never accused me, never flat-out told me he knew I’d taken it. But that disappointment in his eyes lingered.” Elias shook his head, the memory heavy on his shoulders.
“But my pride wouldn’t let me fix the situation. I kept on being a jackass all summer. I stayed out late, came home in the last dark before dawn or went straight to my job, just so that I wouldn’t have to look my dad in the eye. Senior year started and there were no parties to go to every night. Things got real. Well, except for Waylon and me. Waylon, he was still wild, still getting in trouble. And I went right along with it.” Elias chuckled ruefully, shaking his head as Penny barked at a passing chipmunk that chittered angrily back at her.
“So, what changed you guys?”
“Ben. He was the one who talked some sense into us finally. Said we needed to get serious or we’d never go anywhere, never amount to anything. It hits different when it’s your friend telling you that and not your parents.”
“Yeah, you’re absolutely right.”
“I decided I needed more discipline, so I enlisted as soon as I could, right after graduation. Me and Waylon both. And, well, all my friends eventually did, too. All that playing when we were kids, pretending we were soldiers and sailors. We made it real.”
Wren slipped her hand into his. “Were your parents surprised when you enlisted?”
“Yeah, I think they were. Also, relieved that I’d decided to actually do something with my life. I became a medic with the 75thRanger Regiment. I loved the Tactical Combat Casualty Care training and became a first responder.”
“Wow. That had to be intense.”
“Yeah. But I never lost anyone. I’m proud of that.”
Wren glanced up at the sun filtering through the leaves. The dappled light danced on her cheeks. “I bet your dad is, too.”
Elias chuckled as he shook his head. “My dad,” he said fondly. “So, on my first leave, I sat down with my dad at the kitchen table on the last night. It took me that long to gather the courage to apologize to him. Before I said a word, I set a replacement bottle of bourbon on the table.” Elias chuckled. His house came into view and the dogs ran ahead. “And you know what my dad did?”
Wren’s eyes sparkled. “What?”
“Before I could even open my mouth to apologize, he looks me square in the eye and says with a smile, ‘Hey! I see you finally found it.’”
Wren smiled so wide, the skin around her eyes crinkled. “Wow.”
