Family Interrupted by Barrett Linda

Author:Barrett, Linda [Barrett, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Linda Barrett
Published: 2013-04-04T05:00:00+00:00

“Sorry, Dad. I thought I told you I’d be tied up tonight. But give my love to the grands...and to Mom.”

“I don’t remember that.” But I wasn’t surprised. Simply disappointed. “Your grandparents feel abandoned. This is important, Ian. Can’t you postpone whatever you’re doing?” Fat chance. My good-looking kid was probably with a girl, probably anticipating a roll in the hay, and nothing was more important at nineteen than getting laid. “Look, if you’ve got a date, just bring her along. There’s plenty of food and beer.”

“I’m really sorry, Dad. I can’t get away tonight. Can you just tell the folks I’m working overtime and the money’s good? The plant operates around the clock. Tell them and they’ll understand.”

But I didn’t. The plant, the plant, the plant. Had Ian’s job become the most important part of his life? A pipefitter instead of a college student? I wanted him at the university with his friends. I wanted him learning the business and finance end from the get-go, not like me who attended night school while working full-time in the trades, struggling with the debit and credit side later. If Ian studied finance, he could talk to bankers in their own language as soon as he took over the business.

Instead of college or Barnes Construction, he’d chosen the refinery. It wasn’t about the money. His disappearance from the family stemmed back to the accident. Was he really working overtime tonight, or was he simply continuing to avoid us?

“Don’t be surprised if Mom calls you back,” I said.

The silence on the other end of the line preceded the quiet click, and Ian was gone. Disconnected. I stared at my cell. Disconnected—a perfect description. We’d each disconnected from one another. Mentally, emotionally, physically. I knew it. Claire knew it too. And Ian had made his choice clear. Sometimes, when I let my guard down, when I allowed myself to think about what happened to my family, I wanted to howl. Instead, I popped an antacid.

Despite my disappointments, however, I still had hope. I’d been called a cockeyed optimist many times in my life. With Claire in such a good mood tonight, we had a chance to reconnect, to communicate, and rekindle the flame after twenty-five years. Of course, I had to deliver the bad news about Ian’s no-show, but my heart was light as I entered the restaurant.

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