Chapter four
"Hey, Dad!!"
"Yeah, son?"
"Look! I hacked into your computer!!" I proudly held up my laptop.
"Yes, very good, Jim! I've obviously taught you well, didn't I?" He playfully tousled my hair. "I love you, Jim, and you make me proud. Howsabout we go to your favorite restaurant to eat?"
My face brightened and I jumped up and down with joy. "Yeah! You're the best dad ever!!"
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Dad went to go answer it, telling me to stay where I was.
I was wondering what was happening, 'cause he was taking an awfully long time at the door. I caught such phrases as: "How bad do you need." and "My five year-old son's in the other room and I promised him I'd take him out. I can't do it right now, please understand. I can't stand breaking his little heart. I promise to get to it tonight, okay?"
When he finally came back, I asked him "What kinda business was it, Dad?"
He tousled my hair again. "Just work, my son. Just work. You'll understand someday. C'mon, little man! Let's get changed and go!!"
"Okay!"
* * *
While we were out, I rode piggyback on my Dad's shoulders, announcing to everyone else how great my Dad is. I looked down from my perch and I could see him smiling, but I could tell beyond his smile he was very worried. So, to make him feel better, I leaned down and shouted "Boo!!" in his face. He had the greatest look of shock on his face. I giggled. "Gotcha!"
He reached behind his back. "Yes you did, you little weasel you!!" He grabbed the collar of my jacket and started roughhousing me before we got to the door.
"Ow!"
"What happened, Jim?"
"I scratched my finger."
"Oh, sorry son! Here, we'll take care of it once we go inside and then we'll get you ready for bed, okay?"
"Okay!!"
As soon as we were inside, he asked me which finger I scratched.
"My right pointer."
"All right." He provided a bandage and cleaned my finger. When he was done, he kissed it.
"Why do you do that?"
"So that your finger can get better quicker."
"But that's an old wife's tale!"
He laughed. "Nothing gets by you, huh Jim?"
I vigorously nodded. "Nope!!"
He picked me up. "Let's get you ready for bed, you little trooper!!"
* * *
I lay in bed, but I couldn't go to sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't tired, so I decided to go see what Dad was up to. I climbed out of bed and walked out of my room. I like my room. It was full of different parts of machines that I took apart and on the wall was my very first set of tools. It's very rare for a five year-old to own a blowtorch nowadays!
As I was descending the stairs, I could hear someone yelling. "No!! You don't understand!! It's nothing like that!!" No one else was talking, so I assumed Dad was on the phone with someone he didn't like. I froze in my tracks.
"Look, I had to!! I had no choice! It's in progress right now!"
I could hear him sigh and pace around his room.
"Okay, okay. I understand. No!! I'll work really hard!! Please don't-"
Obviously the other person didn't like my Dad, either. I heard my Dad hang up, sigh again and utter some curses under his breath. I decided to see if he was okay, so I tiptoed over. But the sight sure wasn't pretty. He had thrown some things around and started kicking everything. The phone rang again seven times before he picked it up.
"Listen, I told your associate that I was going to get right on it! Is it a crime to spend some quality time with my son?! You obviously don't understand a father's heart for his children!!"
I couldn't stand it. Tears ran down my cheeks and my mouth automatically opened, even though I knew he was going to be mad at me. "Dad?"
He quickly spun around. "Look, I can't talk right now. Family business to take care of." He hung up really quickly. "Jim, why on earth are you out of your bed at this time of night??"
I reached my arms to him. "I can't sleep."
He picked me up. "Is that so?" He looked at me square in the face. "Whatsa matter, little man?"
I started to cry. "Why were you having a fight? I hate fights!"
He began to look worried. "Son, sometimes people don't like my ideas of living. They rather." He paused to think of words I could understand. "They rather.I work on their ideas all the time."
"Why don't they just leave us alone?!"
He sighed heavily as he carried me up to my room. "I don't know, my son. I just don't know."
"Hey, Dad!!"
"Yeah, son?"
"Look! I hacked into your computer!!" I proudly held up my laptop.
"Yes, very good, Jim! I've obviously taught you well, didn't I?" He playfully tousled my hair. "I love you, Jim, and you make me proud. Howsabout we go to your favorite restaurant to eat?"
My face brightened and I jumped up and down with joy. "Yeah! You're the best dad ever!!"
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Dad went to go answer it, telling me to stay where I was.
I was wondering what was happening, 'cause he was taking an awfully long time at the door. I caught such phrases as: "How bad do you need." and "My five year-old son's in the other room and I promised him I'd take him out. I can't do it right now, please understand. I can't stand breaking his little heart. I promise to get to it tonight, okay?"
When he finally came back, I asked him "What kinda business was it, Dad?"
He tousled my hair again. "Just work, my son. Just work. You'll understand someday. C'mon, little man! Let's get changed and go!!"
"Okay!"
* * *
While we were out, I rode piggyback on my Dad's shoulders, announcing to everyone else how great my Dad is. I looked down from my perch and I could see him smiling, but I could tell beyond his smile he was very worried. So, to make him feel better, I leaned down and shouted "Boo!!" in his face. He had the greatest look of shock on his face. I giggled. "Gotcha!"
He reached behind his back. "Yes you did, you little weasel you!!" He grabbed the collar of my jacket and started roughhousing me before we got to the door.
"Ow!"
"What happened, Jim?"
"I scratched my finger."
"Oh, sorry son! Here, we'll take care of it once we go inside and then we'll get you ready for bed, okay?"
"Okay!!"
As soon as we were inside, he asked me which finger I scratched.
"My right pointer."
"All right." He provided a bandage and cleaned my finger. When he was done, he kissed it.
"Why do you do that?"
"So that your finger can get better quicker."
"But that's an old wife's tale!"
He laughed. "Nothing gets by you, huh Jim?"
I vigorously nodded. "Nope!!"
He picked me up. "Let's get you ready for bed, you little trooper!!"
* * *
I lay in bed, but I couldn't go to sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't tired, so I decided to go see what Dad was up to. I climbed out of bed and walked out of my room. I like my room. It was full of different parts of machines that I took apart and on the wall was my very first set of tools. It's very rare for a five year-old to own a blowtorch nowadays!
As I was descending the stairs, I could hear someone yelling. "No!! You don't understand!! It's nothing like that!!" No one else was talking, so I assumed Dad was on the phone with someone he didn't like. I froze in my tracks.
"Look, I had to!! I had no choice! It's in progress right now!"
I could hear him sigh and pace around his room.
"Okay, okay. I understand. No!! I'll work really hard!! Please don't-"
Obviously the other person didn't like my Dad, either. I heard my Dad hang up, sigh again and utter some curses under his breath. I decided to see if he was okay, so I tiptoed over. But the sight sure wasn't pretty. He had thrown some things around and started kicking everything. The phone rang again seven times before he picked it up.
"Listen, I told your associate that I was going to get right on it! Is it a crime to spend some quality time with my son?! You obviously don't understand a father's heart for his children!!"
I couldn't stand it. Tears ran down my cheeks and my mouth automatically opened, even though I knew he was going to be mad at me. "Dad?"
He quickly spun around. "Look, I can't talk right now. Family business to take care of." He hung up really quickly. "Jim, why on earth are you out of your bed at this time of night??"
I reached my arms to him. "I can't sleep."
He picked me up. "Is that so?" He looked at me square in the face. "Whatsa matter, little man?"
I started to cry. "Why were you having a fight? I hate fights!"
He began to look worried. "Son, sometimes people don't like my ideas of living. They rather." He paused to think of words I could understand. "They rather.I work on their ideas all the time."
"Why don't they just leave us alone?!"
He sighed heavily as he carried me up to my room. "I don't know, my son. I just don't know."