Mad Dad, Fun Dad by Doug Draper

Author:Doug Draper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction/Biographical/Christian/General/Suspense
Publisher: Elm Hill
Published: 2018-03-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

In the summer following Ben’s sixth-grade year, his father received a phone call when the family was getting ready to eat dinner. After hanging up the phone, he took his seat at the table and made an announcement while loading his plate with mashed potatoes.

“That was Jeb Parker, my father’s boss,” Al said. “He called to let me know that my father passed away this morning. There’s going to be a funeral for him on Saturday. I told Jeb we’d be there.”

Al’s family waited for him to explain why his father died, but he acted as if his father’s death meant nothing more than an obligation to attend a funeral. Al ignored the stunned looks at the table and dove into his dinner with his usual speedy, silent approach.

Ben wasn’t shocked by the behavior. He knew that his father came from a family that fell apart at the end of the Great Depression. Grandpa Baker abandoned his wife and four children on a small, run-down farm in Sandy, Utah, to look for work elsewhere. Because she had schizophrenia, Al’s mother couldn’t care for the children. When neighbors complained about the family’s deplorable living conditions, social workers placed Al, his brother, and two sisters in foster homes. Al ended up in Alma where he met Rachel at school.

Ben had only participated in brief visits with his father’s birth parents. The last visit with Grandpa Baker ended in less than two hours. He lived north of Salt Lake City in a small trailer on the farm where he worked. When the Bakers dropped in to see him, he gave them a tour of the farm, pointing out all the things he needed to get done that day. He made sure they knew what an enormous vital job he had and made it clear that they should leave because he didn’t have time to chat. Al eventually took the hint and told his family, “Let’s go.” They drove away without hugs or promises to see each other again.

“Don’t chase the chickens” were the only words Grandpa Baker spoke to Ben. Some of the chickens roamed about the barnyard searching for stray pieces of grain. As Ben often did on his farm, he reached down to grab one of the chickens by the feet, so he could carry it around like a pet. But the hen eluded Ben, squawking and flapping her wings. Grandpa Baker noticed the commotion and delivered his brief command with an angry tone and look that reminded Ben of his father.

“Al, I’m sorry about your father passing away and know that your heart must be very heavy,” Rachel said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “What happened? Was it a heart attack?”

“No, a train hit him while he was walking on the tracks west of the farm,” Al said, looking up from his food. “What’s wrong with you, idiots? Eat. It’s getting cold.”

The train story puzzled Ben. He didn’t know how a train could sneak up on someone while walking through the quiet countryside.

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