Father To Son

The park was wonderfully dark. The creek leading to the lake was still. The ducks were asleep. It was neither cool nor hot. Everything was just right. The place was peaceful and that is why he had come.

His father and he had just quarreled over business. It was a stupid argument. An argument caused by miscommunication. He had thought he had explained his rationale well. His father did not understand or did not care about rationales. Of course, it was many meaningless things. As much as they were the same, they were also very different.

The argument had gotten him mad enough to make him talk to himself. It was not a loud conversation, but it was audible. His face was animated. His lips were moving rapidly. He bet he looked just like his father did when the old man got angry.

He saw the shadows of two lovers in the gazebo. At first, he was jealous. He had sacrificed for ‘business.’ He had no lover. He had no prospects. He had always thought all it took was effort. He had never chosen to put forth the effort. Now, while walking through this park on this glorious night, had he decided his previous choices were ill-conceived? No, not really, he knew a lover would come eventually. It would be hard, but so was everything else.

He cared as much as his father did. This was what the old man never realized. Of course, he made mistakes. But his father had made mistakes too.

He heard a woman let out a girlish scream. Her playful lover had done something in their privacy she had liked but did not want him to know she liked. Her scream fooled no one.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to give up on this world he had created for himself.

But the park was too beautiful. The lovers in the gazebo could not see it. The playful couple could not see it. But this idiot walking through the park talking to himself saw how wonderful the night was. He laughed out loud, loud enough to silence the playful couple.

He shook his head and stopped talking to himself.