When my cel rang just before noon, I almost didn't
answer. I didn't want to talk to Austin, but it was my dad,
an even greater surprise. I flipped open the phone and
pressed it to my ear, though it wasn't my habit to take
personal cals at work.
'Dad. Hi.'
'How'd you know it was me?'
'I have caler ID, Dad. I have your number programmed
into my phone.' Not that I used it much.
He loved gadgets but wasn't particularly tech savvy. 'Can't
pul anything over on you, huh? What are you doing for
lunch?'
'I brought a sandwich.'
'How about I take you out for lunch? I have to be up your
way today for a meeting. Stela's off shopping or
something. It'l just be you and me.'
My dad had taken an early retirement a year before, but
though he'd suggested it a few times, this was the first time
he'd actualy invited me to lunch. We made plans to meet
he'd actualy invited me to lunch. We made plans to meet
at a chain restaurant not too far from my office. I knocked
on Paul's door to tel him I'd be leaving. He'd been
concentrating hard on his work, and I had to knock twice
before he looked up. He was going to get a headache that
way, even without the overhead lights on.
'Paul. I'm going to lunch with my dad. I'd like to take an
extra hour today. I can stay later, if you need me to.'
He shook his head. 'No, Paige. That's fine. Go enjoy
yourself.'
'Want me to bring you back anything?'
'No.' He sighed and waved a hand at the monitor. 'I need to get this done before I leave for Kansas next week.'
'You have my cel number if you need me,' I told him.
'Cal if you want me to stop on my way back.'
Paul has a very nice smile he doesn't use half as often as he
should. It doesn't make him into a movie star by any
means, but it was easy enough to see why his wife had
agreed to become Mrs. Johnson.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone to lunch with my
dad. He usualy managed to remember my birthday, if not
the day at least the month, and major holidays seemed to
trigger his memory, too, but with nothing on the calendar it
was a bit unusual for him to ask me. He greeted me with
the same hug and kiss as he always did, the one that left
me feeling slightly strange though he never seemed to think
so.
We both ordered the same thing, soup and salad. 'Stela's
got me on some sort of diet,' he explained. 'Says we both
need to drop a few pounds. You look like you've slimmed
down a bit.'
