Wednesday, March 4^th, 2020

Father Figure

Ten minute later I was at the funeral home, standing in front of an odd combination of musicians. Jack’s friends played the guitar, violin, and flute so softly I didn’t recognize the song. A pale young girl - pierced lip, nose ring, and a star tattoo on the shaved side of her head - stood next to me.  She saw the puzzled look on my face and sang a little bit of the chorus: “I don’t like you, but I love you. You really got a hold on me.” We listened to the Smokey Robinson classic together in silence for a minute until she broke into the final verse:

“I wanna leave you, don't wanna stay here.

“Don't wanna spend another day here.

“I wanna split now, I can't quit now.

“You’ve really got a hold on me.”

“Heroin killed my daddy,” she said.  “Jack was his sponsor. After my daddy died, Jack sent me a present every year on my birthday. Ten straight years. Sometimes my drunk-ass mother would forget, but never Jack. Called me at the start of each school year to encourage me. Came to a couple of my talent shows when I first started singing. Doesn’t sound like much, but he was the closest I ever got to having a real father.”

She buried her face in my chest and wrapped her arms around me. Spasms of abandonment, anger, and pain wracked her body as she sobbed until she couldn’t anymore.

Today I will stay clean, knowing the pain addiction causes loved ones.

2020 Vision ©2017 by Ken Montrose

2020 Vision is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/