“Hi, are we ready to go then?”
“Yep, don’t wait up for me Dad.”
I was looking over my shoulder as we headed
for the door.
“How long you plan to be out, Sweat Pea?”
Dad asked with a sort of accusing tone to his
voice I'd come to know so well, like he was
challenging me and letting me know that
anything past midnight would be the wrong
answer.
“Oh probably at least past midnight, so you
know you need your sleep, Daddy, don't wait
up.”
I turned to Steve: “Dad’s health hasn’t been
the best lately,” I explained.
“My health is just fine,” Dad replied. “Don’t
you worry about me; I plan to be here a long
time yet, Sweet pea. Now about when you plan to come home tonight."
I grabbed Steve’s arm, steering him to the
front door quickly. The sooner we left the
better. I had a twinge of guilt on my way to the
door so I turned back and gave Dad a big hug
and kiss before I followed Steve outside.
“I’m pretty sure your dad might not like me
very much,” Steve said when we were safely
inside his car.
I just laughed and assured him it wasn’t personal, it
was the fact that I told Dad he had chosen the
Army as a career instead of an accounting job
or something. Steve looked at me, an
expression of confusion crossing his face.
“I know it’s a contradiction, my dad being a lifer and all. But he thinks I should have a husband, one day, with a stable job, and we will live in one place, the little house, picket
fence, a few kids and all. Don’t get me wrong, Dad loves the Army, but he knows it was hard for me, all the moving and such, I know he means well.”
I didn’t tell Steve that my dad was sure my mom had left him because he had chosen a career in the Army.
He and my mom used to fight often and one of my earliest memories was of them fighting, about my dad being in the
military and gone for so many weeks at a time.
One night, when I was 5, my mom said she was going to the store to get some milk and we haven’t seen her since.
I think she had a boyfriend because once when we went to the park, my mom introduced me to a guy she told me to call, “Uncle Charlie.” That seemed like so many, many years ago now.
Since I haven’t known Steve very long I decided this was information he didn’t need to know; yet.
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