Tony was meeting his dad for the first time. He was excited. The only older guys he had had in his life were his moms boyfriends. But they always left after awhile. Really, it had only been his mom around. He knocked boldly on the white door and stood on the cement stoop, smiling, waiting for his dad to open the door. He scuffed his shoes around on the mat for a few minutes before ringing the doorbell. Maybe he hadn't knocked loud enough. His dad could have been upstairs. Tony stood for a few more minutes before sitting down on the doorstep. His dad wasn't here. Or he didn't want to see him after all and was avoiding opening the door. And his mom had left as soon as he had jumped out of the car and waved good bye, not wanting to see his dad again and trusting he would be there to meet her son.
Tony stood up and knocked on the door again, hoping maybe his dad was home and just hadn't heard the previous knock or the bell. He pounded on the doorbell over and over, tears welling in his eyes. But nobody answered. The tears spilled over as he sat down, scared of being alone on a busy street. His only hope was that his mom would come to pick him up soon.