“Well, don't go flying kites,” Daniel said, chuckling.
The final tally for the beers was Daniel with six and William with three. During
the last beer, they sat in silence. William thought about how nice it was spending
time with his dad. It would be better if he and the kids moved in. His father was
never overbearing. The kids may prefer it. He picked them up tomorrow at 4 PM and
had them for the week. He would talk to them, see how they responded, and go from
there. He imagined Sasha having more of a problem living with his father than
Samuel. Sam would be fine anywhere with electricity and internet. Sasha would have
a problem with the 'optics' of living in a multi-generational home.
“Well, it's probably time for this dinosaur,” Daniel said, squeezing his left arm,
“to go to bed.”
“You okay, Dad?” William asked.
“I'm fine,” Daniel said, suddenly out of breath. “I need to lie down.”
“Let's get you in bed,” William said, getting out of the faded beach chair.
He went to help his father out of the chair.
His father's breathing became more labored. Daniel grabbed his chest with one hand
and kept William back with another.
“Dad?” William whispered. “Let's get you to the hospital.”
“No, no,” Daniel said, continuing to clutch his chest. “It’ll pass in a minute.”
“Better safe than sorry,” William responded.
“Don’t worry,” Daniel muttered in-between breaths. “I’ll be all right.”
“Wait, let me—” William started, but his father ignored him.
Daniel reached up and slid the garage door down. As the thud of the door echoed
through the garage, he grabbed his chest again, glancing toward William.
“May—” his father started to say as he fell to the ground.