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He always knew I’d coain eventually

Imy father’s full head of snohite hair as he sits alone at the table, staring out the ard Odette’s rose garden out back

“Hey, Daddy,” I say, soft and sweet so as not to startle hi up to the table, I wrapfro?”

He lifts his hands, placing them on mine “Tired But happy Because you’re here”

Taking a seat beside him, I rest my chin on my hand and take him in He looks the same as he did the last time I saw him, which was Christmastime in the city Every year, my father and Odette ets to do her shopping and he gets to spend quality ti for a hot minute Because they visited so often, kne busy I was, and realized Whiskey Springs had nothing on Manhattan, they never pressured me to come home

“What did the doctors say?” I ask

He chuckles, swatting a hand “They said what they always say, that I need to leave my job, move a little more and eat a little less”

“Seems like a reasonable prescription”

“Odette thinks I should take up jogging with her” He slides his hand over his soft belly “Thinking I should start alking first and see how that goes”

“Baby steps”

He snorts “Exactly”

“So when do you think you’ll be done at the bank?” I avoid the use of words like quit or retire around s a workaholic wants to hear For as long as I can res and loan in the tri-county area, catering to hu outfits He specializes in agricultural loans and programs, and people come from miles around because he’s the best in his business Oftentimes, he’s the only one ill say yes when everyone else says no I’ve lost track of the ahcount anyway “Are you worried they won’t be able to carry on without you?”