Lexus finishes up the evening by getting Joshua ready for
bed and going to bed herself.
Terrance is downstairs cleaning up the kitchen, when the
telephone rings.
“Terrance, this is Clark. I was calling to let Lexus know that dad doesn’t have much longer.”
Lexus’ brother continues, “He’s not doing well and the
doctors say that he can pass away at any moment. I know she doesn’t want to see him, but I
really think she should.”
“I do too,” Terrance agrees. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Terrance and Clark end the call. Terrance knows that Lexus tries to put on a
strong front when it comes to dealings with her father, but he also knows that
if something should happen to him, she’d be devastated.
Terrance finds himself getting
emotional. He knows that Lexus needs to
go and see her father before he dies or she’ll regret it
forever.
His thoughts are interrupted by Ethan. “Daddy…what’s wrong?”
Terrance wipes away a few tears. “Nothing son. I’m OK.”
Satisfied with his father’s answer, he continues, “Can you
read me a bedtime story?”
“Sure, meet me upstairs,” he tells him.
Ethan heads upstairs.
Terrance attempts to clear his head so that he can concentrate on this
moment with his son.
Terrance heads to the library to pick out a good book to
read. He settles on a fantasy book that
he used to love as a child.
As he pulls the book off the shelf, he remembers all the
nights he spent alone growing up, wondering where his mother was and when she
would get home. He remembers being
afraid a lot. Suddenly, he understands
why Lexus doesn’t want to see her father.
There’s nothing like having a parent, that’s not really a parent.
Ethan is upstairs in bed waiting for his father; content
with the world.
“There once was an enchanted dragon that lived in an
enchanted land…” Terrance begins.
“Only this dragon was unlike other dragons. You see… he could not breathe fire,” Terrance
says in a mysterious enthusiastic voice.
“The other dragons made fun of him and called him
names. How could he defend any treasure,
if he had no defense? But
this dragon insisted that he could…” Terrance says
getting into the story.
“Well he-” Terrance says, but stops when he notices that
Ethan is already asleep. “The end.” He
whispers.
Terrance puts the book down and leans in close to his
son. “I love you,” he whispers.
He gently kisses him on the head.
He then tucks him in; making sure that he stays warm all
night.
“Daddy,” Ethan whispers, sitting up
slightly.
That one word touches Terrance deeply. It’s a word that he didn’t get to say very often, because his father never lived with them.
Terrance doesn’t get a chance to respond, before Ethan lies
back down, sound asleep.
Terrance enters the bedroom where Lexus is already
asleep. He looks down on her,
reflecting on why they make such a great pair. They both came from broken homes and insist
on things being much better for their own children.
He crawls in next to her, but finds himself lying
awake. “How is he going to get her to
visit her father, before it’s too late?”
