2021 riverrun Final PDF

The Pen
Ryan Casement
D
ecker sat across from his daughter at his hickory wood table. His
house was normally quiet. No distracting things like fans and radios;
he needed silence for his best work. The whistle of tea was a notable
exception; especially when dear daughter visited. He glanced
across his book wall. Rows and rows of books and novels, manuals and newspaper
folders. Every book back held a different story. The smell of cellulose pulp paper and
disturbed dust could be found throughout the room. The bookshelf was beautiful,
dark Indian rosewood, polished and shining. Books from end to end, kindling for his
creativity. Some had those little metal clasps that you use for books in a series.
Freshly dusted, all of it, for dear daughter’s visit.
The “dear daughter,” Emily, sat across the table from her father on his 70th
birthday. This visit had been six weeks coming. Decker still hadn’t been ready; she
could see it. He hadn’t been sleeping. His eyes were swimming in dark circles. A
quick glance behind him revealed that no, he had, in fact, not cleaned the pile of
books that wouldn’t fit on the shelf, the ones stacked in the corner of the room up to
the ceiling. “Would you like me to buy you a stepladder for the stack in the corner?”
Decker jumped, spilling a splash of tea onto the kitchen counter. “Oh, I’m
sorry about that. I said I would take that down last time you were here, didn’t I?” He
wiped the tea from the counter. He was not used to the noise. No visitors made for a
quiet home. He liked the quiet. He needed it quiet, but he would endure it for dear
daughter. He finished the tea with a pinch of salt in his cup and three sugars in dear
daughter’s. She stood to come retrieve her tea.
“No. No. Please,” Decker waved her back to her seat. “I’ve got one thing I’d
like to do for my daughter.”
He brought the tea to his dear daughter. And she smiled a simple smile.
“You’ve done more than enough dad. More than enough.”
They sat together and drank tea.
“Tea is nice as always, Emily.”
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