She had looked amazing. Had her eyes been red from crying? He couldn’t tell from where he stood. How was she coping with today? The anniversary date was never easy. She must be staying at her parents’, or else why would she have been in Columbia today? He smiled to himself. She was with her family, surrounded by people she loved, who loved her, too. She would be fine.
He got onto his bike and headed for Sheila’s. Aaron was all of three months old and one of the happiest babies he’d ever seen. He’d promised Jim and Sheila a night out while he babysat his godson. Annika didn’t need him. He suppressed the ache in his heart as he realized this and focused on thoughts of Aaron. He’d been looking forward to this all day.
DANIELWORKEDANovernight after watching Aaron for the evening.Note to self–don’t do that again.He’d forgotten how much work an infant could be. In any case, by the time he arrived at the soccer field that night for his nephew’s game, the match had started and Charlie was on the field. Charlie was quite intense on the ball for a ten-year-old boy, and his footwork was impressive. Daniel’s heart filled with pride. The sensation wasn’t new, just a bit rusty.
Ten minutes in, the coach made a substitution, and a tired and sweaty Charlie grinned and waved at Daniel from the sidelines. Daniel waved back and turned to find a place to open his lawn chair and sit down. His stomach clenched when he caught sight of his father standing just a few feet away, watching him as intently as he had been watching Charlie.
He walked over to his father. It wasn’t that they didn’t talk; it was that Daniel never knew what to say to him. It was easier if his sister or mother were around, though it hadn’t always been that way. They’d had their share of father-son disagreements, but those were mostly growing pains. Things had really changed after Sara died. His father had supported him by telling him that it was his responsibility to take care of his wife. Men didn’t need time to grieve. They simply moved on.
Except that Daniel had just shut down. And because he still felt the pain of Sara’s death as keenly as if it had just happened yesterday, he knew he had failed, not only Sheila, but his father, too.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Daniel.” His father nodded. “See the footwork on our boy?”
Daniel smiled. “Yeah, kid’s a natural. Where’s Em?”
“She got held up at work. Michael, too. That’s why I’m here.”
Daniel nodded, trying not to be obvious in his discomfort of having to be alone with his father. He considered standing elsewhere, but that seemed extreme.
“Nice that you made it to the game. He’s talked about nothing else all day.”His father was starting a conversation. Weird.
“He’s a good kid.” Daniel tried not to be too obvious as he looked around. Maybe Ba was here? “Sorry I was late. Got held up at the hospital.”
“Happens.” His father shrugged and looked Daniel square in the eye. “He’s really happy you’ve been coming around.”
A long-forgotten gentleness in the older man’s voice jerked Daniel’s attention properly to his father. He was met with that familiar green gaze but there was something softer about the older man, something—hesitant.
“He, uh, really missed you. Probably could have benefited from you teaching him some foot skills.”
“He’s got Michael.”
“Michael’s a baseball player. He doesn’t know soccer.” His dad’s grin belied the mischief in his eyes. Soccer was clearly the better sport.
Daniel chuckled at what his father wasn’t saying and shook his head to dismiss it. “I’ve missed him, too. Maybe I’ll come around a bit more, give him some tips on those ball-handling skills.”
The older man’s shoulders relaxed, and a familiar twinkle entered his father’s eye. “I think he’d like that.”
“Yeah.” A sense of calm fell upon Daniel, one that he hadn’t experienced around his father in years. “Me, too.”
Coach put Charlie back on the field, so Daniel watched his nephew in companionable silence, side by side with his father. His father commented on Charlie’s strengths and pointed out areas for improvement. It reminded Daniel of when he and his father would analyze his own games, and whatever tension remained in him started to melt away into the ease that fathers and sons could share.
“So, whatever happened to that girl?” his father asked with the air of someone who already knew the answer. “I was hoping that going to group would have you running back to get her.”
“You know about group?” Daniel was incredulous.
His father shrugged, looking out at the field. “I hear things.”
Daniel just stared at him, aghast.
“You seem more—relaxed or something.” A quick glance in Daniel’s direction, then back to the field.
“I am.”
“So where is Annika, then?” This time his father turned to face him.
Daniel’s heart clenched at the mere mention of her name. “It wasn’t going to work, Dad.” His turn to stare at the field.
