Evergreen by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 18

The week crept by at a painful pace. But as anxious as Tom was becoming, his mood had brightened significantly. Even Katie noticed the change and it didn’t take long for her to see it as one morning, she entered the kitchen, drawn by the smell of eggs and bacon. Tom was not in the habit of cooking breakfast, as he always picked up something from the market on his way to work. “You’re cooking breakfast?” she asked curiously. “Yeah,” Tom answered. “Just something different.” But, there was something about his expression, an odd look on his face. The unseen bond between father and daughter was very strong. It connected them at the soul and in one fleeting moment, she knew the reason for the change she saw her father. She put a hand on his arm and gently turned him enough to look into his eyes. Katie’s eyes widened as a smile came to her face. “Do you have a girlfriend!?” she asked exuberantly. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he answered. The question sounded ridiculous. Even the idea seemed unbelievable. But Katie continued to study her father’s face and feeling her continued stare, Tom attempted to wave her off.

“Katie, really? Why don’t you set the table?” Katie seemed to know her father better than he knew himself and as he glanced back at her, she became fully aware of what he was so unsuccessfully trying to hide. “Are you seeing Christine!?” she asked. Tom took a deep breath of frustration, rolling his eyes slightly.

“I knew it!”

She had been looking forward to this moment for years, hoping he would meet someone. Filling the void both of them had been feeling for far too long. “Katie,” Tom replied. “It’s just a date.”

“Oh, a date,” she said teasingly. “Should I find someplace else for the weekend?”

Tom looked at her in disbelief.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “Did you set the table yet?” Katie quickly walked to the cupboard and retrieving plates and silverware, set two places out on the kitchen table. “Are you kidding!?” she began. “She’s perfect for you! And seriously, dad...you so need to get laid.” Tom looked at her with a shocked expression as the conversation took a more serious tone. “Excuse me?” Tom replied.

Katie turned towards him and leaned back against the cabinet.

“Dad, how long’s it been?” she began. “I know you’re always going to be hurt. But, don’t you think it’s time to move on? I never really knew mom, but even I know that there’s been something missing for a long time.” Tom asked her to sit down at the table and tried to change the subject.

“I’m not saying you have to get her in the sack on the first date,” she interrupted. “But maybe it’s time, and she is perfect for you.”

She also pointed out the Christine had visited many times, even after he got home from the hospital. Her help was clearly unnecessary, but her visits were out of obvious concern. Katie, however, was too distracted by her father’s condition to see Christine’s growing involvement. “Katie,” Tom said. “Let’s just take this for what it is, okay? And just for your information, it’s dinner. Just dinner.”

Katie took a gasp of excitement.

“Here!?” she asked.

“No,” Tom answered unemotionally. The conversation was beginning to wear on him. “And you may not tell anyone.”

He insisted that Christine is still the town’s Sheriff and rumors of this nature could make her job difficult. Katie had always understood how important Christine’s job was, so she was more than understanding about her father’s request. Yet, she would go through the rest of the week barely able to contain herself. Tom also shared a feeling of excitement, as well as anxiety. But, his reaction was one of nervous anticipation and as tense, as he was becoming, it was a feeling he missed. Another indicator of how large the hole of his life had grown. Katie was right, it was time to move on with the business of life. But, it wasn’t just a matter of sex. It had been nearly a decade since he had felt anything and deep down, he knew that his upcoming date with Christine could be the turning point that might steer him in the direction of a more fulfilling life.