Page 21 of Stolen Sun

Declan

Claire calls me while I’m on my way into the office. It’s never good when Claire calls me outside of regular business hours.

“Good morning, Claire,” I answer through the truck speakers.

“Morning, Mr. Adams, there’s an issue at the warehouse. Are you able to stop by before you come in?” She asks.

“Where’s Zander?”

“He’s already there,” she answers.

“Well, I’ll be in later then,” I tell her and hang up.

Taking the next exit, I drive to the warehouse on the opposite side of town from the office. Zander runs things there while I take care of the smaller warehouse and the office side of the business. If he had Claire call me, it’s a big issue. There’s almost always a problem to handle in this business, but he rarely needs my help.

When I park in front of the entrance, I already know the issue. It isn’t a company problem at all. It’s my fucking dad. I jump out of the truck and sling the door open to find Dad stumbling around Zander’s office, trying to convince Zander to give him some cash.

“Dad,” I say, stopping a few feet away from him.

“Hey, Dec! I was just telling Zander that I need to hang out here for a bit until I sober up. I need to go see your mom today,” he says and walks toward me.

“Come on. I’ll take you,” I say, trying to keep my cool about the drinking.

He gets drunk when he misses Mom. As unhealthy as it may be, I can't blame him. I've used so many things over the years to drown my thoughts of Noel. I can't imagine what I would've done if I didn't think I'd get her back some day.

“Now, son, I don’t need a babysitter. I can drive myself in a few hours,” he says.

Here we fucking go.

Keeping my voice calm as if we’re having a normal conversation, I say, “I know, Dad. I had some time today and thought we could go together. You in?”

He studies me for a minute while he leans on a chair. “Yeah, alright, but you’re driving,” he says.

Zander runs his hand over his face behind my dad, relieved it was easy to deal with him today.

Dad and I get into my truck, and I drive him straight to the diner for food and coffee. When we pull into the parking lot, he speaks for the first time since we left the warehouse. “You read my mind, son. Let’s get some breakfast.” He slaps my shoulder before hopping out of the truck.

The hostess brings us to my usual booth, and Dad looks over the menu. It takes him a while, but he finally decides and sets his menu down. Trish notices and comes right over to take our order.

As soon as she walks away, he says what I already know is on his mind. “How did I make it this long, Dec?”

“Because you’re a survivor, Dad,” I tell him honestly.

“It should’ve been me,” he says, referring to my mom’s death.

“Well, men don’t get breast cancer too often, so I’ll have to disagree with you there,” I joke to lighten the mood even though I know it will likely piss him off.

“Don’t jokeabout it, son.”

“Listen, Dad. When you need something, just call me, alright?” I say, getting down to it since he isn’t angry drunk today.

“Yeah, I know. I just hate to bother you when I know you’re busy, and your office is no place for a drunk like me.”

“Dad, wherever I am is always a place for you,” I tell him just as Trish brings our food.

We eat in silence, and I pay the check. When we get back into the truck, I start the drive to the cemetery to go see Mom. He fills the time by telling me why he needed to borrow money from Zander. After talking me through everything he did yesterday, he finally remembers where he put his wallet.

When we pull into the parking lot, I’m surprised to see Noel’s car. The cemetery is big with lots of hills, so we probably won't even see her. I’d try to find her if Dad wasn’t with me. At the very least I'd like to know what's so important that she needs to visit him when she's supposed to be at work. I’ve waited six months to give her time to get over the fucker before inserting myself into her life. I thought it would be more than enough time. She certainly seems ready to move on.

---