driveway. In the bed of the truck was a set of french doors.
“Dad, you bought these?”
“Yeah. I know you said you wanted a slider but I remember your mom always wanted french doors. I never got around to it before she passed. I figure she’d appreciate this.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Even Danny was impressed. “Yeah, Dad. That’s really cool of you. I need a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom. You got one of those in there too?”
Andy smiled. He was glad he’d agreed to spend the time with his boys. It had been a long time since the three of them had spent any quality time together. He and Danny had remained close, but Jake had closed off not long after he and Maddie became an item. Andy thought about how upset his wife would have been, had she been alive, to see the life sucked out of her youngest son...
***
“Dad!” Jake ran into his father’s house yelling. “Dad!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong. As a matter of fact, everything is great.”
“Well, spill it. What’s so great?”
“I’m gonna be a dad! Maddie is pregnant! We’re having a baby!”
Andy sat down. He wasn’t prepared for this. He should have been, he knew. But he had hoped that, despite the constant break-ups and reunions, Jake would come to his senses and get rid of that girl. Now she would be tethered to the family regardless of what happened from now on.
“Dad? Don’t you have anything to say?”
“It’s yours?”
Jake looked shocked. “Of course it is. Why would you ask that?”
“I’m sorry. I just wasn’t sure. Are you sure you two are ready for this? A baby is a big responsibility.”
“You think I don’t know that? What? You think I can’t handle it?”
Andy saw his son losing control. “No. It’s not you I am worried about.”
“She’s past all that, Dad. Jesus. Can’t you just be happy for us? Happy for me?”
“I don’t know, Jakey. I want to be. I just thought—”
“Thought what? Thought I’d dump her and forget about everything we’d been through? I can’t leave her like this even if I wanted to. I love Maddie and now we’re gonna have a baby. You can either be happy for us or not. Either way, she and I are stronger than ever and now we have this baby coming. She knows it’s a big deal. She’s done with all that other bull shit.”
“I know you think so, Jake, but how many times have I, have you, heard all this before?”
They were both yelling now, Andy, out of fear for his son, and Jake, out of anger at his father.
“Damn it! Why can’t you support me? Why can’t you just be proud of me?”
“I am proud of you. And I do support you. Who was there first thing every time that girl broke you? Who picked you up when she tore you down? Me, goddammit. And I’ll be damned if she’s gonna do that to you again. Damned if she’s going to do that to my grandbaby. Jesus, Jake. Think this through. Think hard. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t think she’ll screw you over again.”
“It doesn’t matter what I say. You think what you want. When you’re ready to be on my side, you’ll be welcome. Until then, keep your negativity to yourself. I’m done with it. I’ve had too much of it over the past few years—”
“Because of her.”
Jake stopped and looked at his father. Disappointment settled in both their eyes. No longer able to deal, Jake grabbed his keys and walked out the door.
***
Danny laughed. “Dad? I was kidding.”
Shaken from a memory, Andy tried to smile. “Well, let’s get this thing done. For some reason Jake is hell bent on finishing this today, and if we are gonna make that happen, we don’t have time for messin' around.”
Jake and Danny looked at each other. They both knew where their father went just then. It’s where they all went. Back to the past, back to the pain they’d just as soon forget.
For the rest of the morning and much into the afternoon, Jake, Danny, and their father worked
“Dad, you bought these?”
“Yeah. I know you said you wanted a slider but I remember your mom always wanted french doors. I never got around to it before she passed. I figure she’d appreciate this.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Even Danny was impressed. “Yeah, Dad. That’s really cool of you. I need a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom. You got one of those in there too?”
Andy smiled. He was glad he’d agreed to spend the time with his boys. It had been a long time since the three of them had spent any quality time together. He and Danny had remained close, but Jake had closed off not long after he and Maddie became an item. Andy thought about how upset his wife would have been, had she been alive, to see the life sucked out of her youngest son...
***
“Dad!” Jake ran into his father’s house yelling. “Dad!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong. As a matter of fact, everything is great.”
“Well, spill it. What’s so great?”
“I’m gonna be a dad! Maddie is pregnant! We’re having a baby!”
Andy sat down. He wasn’t prepared for this. He should have been, he knew. But he had hoped that, despite the constant break-ups and reunions, Jake would come to his senses and get rid of that girl. Now she would be tethered to the family regardless of what happened from now on.
“Dad? Don’t you have anything to say?”
“It’s yours?”
Jake looked shocked. “Of course it is. Why would you ask that?”
“I’m sorry. I just wasn’t sure. Are you sure you two are ready for this? A baby is a big responsibility.”
“You think I don’t know that? What? You think I can’t handle it?”
Andy saw his son losing control. “No. It’s not you I am worried about.”
“She’s past all that, Dad. Jesus. Can’t you just be happy for us? Happy for me?”
“I don’t know, Jakey. I want to be. I just thought—”
“Thought what? Thought I’d dump her and forget about everything we’d been through? I can’t leave her like this even if I wanted to. I love Maddie and now we’re gonna have a baby. You can either be happy for us or not. Either way, she and I are stronger than ever and now we have this baby coming. She knows it’s a big deal. She’s done with all that other bull shit.”
“I know you think so, Jake, but how many times have I, have you, heard all this before?”
They were both yelling now, Andy, out of fear for his son, and Jake, out of anger at his father.
“Damn it! Why can’t you support me? Why can’t you just be proud of me?”
“I am proud of you. And I do support you. Who was there first thing every time that girl broke you? Who picked you up when she tore you down? Me, goddammit. And I’ll be damned if she’s gonna do that to you again. Damned if she’s going to do that to my grandbaby. Jesus, Jake. Think this through. Think hard. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t think she’ll screw you over again.”
“It doesn’t matter what I say. You think what you want. When you’re ready to be on my side, you’ll be welcome. Until then, keep your negativity to yourself. I’m done with it. I’ve had too much of it over the past few years—”
“Because of her.”
Jake stopped and looked at his father. Disappointment settled in both their eyes. No longer able to deal, Jake grabbed his keys and walked out the door.
***
Danny laughed. “Dad? I was kidding.”
Shaken from a memory, Andy tried to smile. “Well, let’s get this thing done. For some reason Jake is hell bent on finishing this today, and if we are gonna make that happen, we don’t have time for messin' around.”
Jake and Danny looked at each other. They both knew where their father went just then. It’s where they all went. Back to the past, back to the pain they’d just as soon forget.
For the rest of the morning and much into the afternoon, Jake, Danny, and their father worked
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