Feb 2018 v01 online

“Here,” said Liam, and the room’s lights
dimmed till he was the only illumination.
“Is Mom coming?” asked Stacey.
“No,” said their father, after a rough cough.
“We’ve said our goodbyes.”
Stacey helped him into a sitting position, held
his thin hand in her own. It felt warm and
surprisingly strong. He turned toward her, his
head shaking as the neck muscles strained
against its weight. “Did you bring it?” His voice
wasn’t much more than a whisper.
After digging for a moment in her bag, Stacey
produced a small package of brown paper and
unwrapped a messy sandwich. “Sorry. I had to
look up the recipe and couldn’t find all the
exact ingredients.”
He took a dramatic sniff. “It smells like it
should,” he said and coughed again. She helped
him take a bite. He chewed slowly, swallowing
with effort. “It’s still better,”
Liam barked a laugh. “Come on, Dad. I know
it’s been a while since you’ve had real food, but
let’s not talk crazy.”
“Don’t you insult your sister’s cooking,” said
their father, and winked at her.
“So,” said Stacey as he took another, smaller
bite. “Where do you want to go?”
“Is it raining?” he asked after looking her up
and down.
“Yes,” she said.
“Good.” He smiled like she remembered,
broad and toothy, with his mouth hanging halfopen.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
She found a service chair and clothes for him
and they walked together through the cold, wet
day. They talked for a while, then simply
walked, listening to the soft, staccato beat of
raindrops on leaves “It’s the purity of that
chaos,” her father said while they took
temporary shelter from a heavier downpour.
“No matter how hard they try, it will never be
the same.”
That night, Stacey’s father died in his sleep,
after telling her that he was looking forward to
having one last real dream. ◊