Missing Dad
Originally posted on December 11, 2008
Jacob: What are you doing out here?
Israel: Thinking.
Jacob: Sitting on Dad’s bike?
Israel: Yeah….
Jacob: Thinking about taking it for a spin, you mean.
Israel: No, that’s not what I mean. Maybe what you would do.
Jacob: Now there’s a most excellent idea.
Israel: I miss him, you know?
Jacob: Sure. I miss him too.
Israel: I mean, I really hated it, you know? The way he busted my ass to make me learn his business, when I wanted to go out on my own. Sometimes….I thought I hated him. Now the only thing left to hate is that he’s not around to bust anything anymore.
Jacob: Turns out he was right to do it that way.
Israel: Yeah…. the business is too big for Mom to run by herself. Good thing we know what we’re doing, what Dad was doing, or she might have lost it. Or been forced to sell. That would have been awful hard on her, especially after losing Dad….
Jacob: And now she doesn’t have to worry…. at least about money ……or finding someone she can trust to manage things……Hey, shove off a minute, let me sit on his bike.
Israel: Just don’t start it up. Mom’ll know we’re out here, and she’ll know what we’re doing, and get all weepy again.
Jacob: Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.
Jacob: Sure is a sweet machine. Wonder when Dad was on it last?
Israel: It has to have been a while. I keep wondering if he would have ridden it more, if he’d still be around.
Jacob: How do you figure?
Israel: Just that it can’t have been a good thing, him sitting in that office all day, working such long hours. He told Mom he bought this ride for stress relief, and then he hardly ever used it.
Jacob: Dad wouldn’t buy anything just to relieve stress. ‘Cuz he thrived on it.
Jacob: Think Mom will want to sell it? Or let one of us have it, or at least use it?
Israel: Knowing Mom, she’ll want us both to have it - to share it.
Jacob: Like everything else, huh?
Israel: Yeah.
Jacob: I’ll buy your share from you.
Israel: Forget it.
Jacob: No, really. How much?
Israel: You’re assuming it will end up ours.
Jacob: There’s no way Mom will sell something to a stranger that belonged to Dad. Not if she has us to give it to.
Israel: Doesn’t matter. There wouldn’t be enough money in the world for you to buy my share. Listen, I gotta go. Lock up when you’re done with your sitting.
Israel: Hey, Dad. You know how you always told me how things were all the time? And how I never believed you, how I had to find out everything for myself, in my own way? So, now you’re not around anymore to tell me how things are….but now I gotta know…
Israel: If I wasn’t always such a pain in the ass, would you still be here?