Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2024 21:29:41 +0100 (CET) From: Keith Castello Subject: My Dad the Widower - Chapter 5 This work is purely fictional and contains explicit material and taboo themes. I don't condone or encourage recreating the acts in this story in real life--in fact, I strongly discourage it! Feedback welcome (even hateful ones) Email: Website: ----- Chapter 5 "Now, once you get to the fire station, turn right," daddy said, over speaker phone. "Alright," grandpa muttered. "Turning right...a basketball court beside it?" "Yup, that's it. A little more down the block and you should see me up front, to your right." Grandpa slowed down and watched out for daddy. We passed the basketball court and I saw a group of stocky men playing basketball over the chain link fence. Opposite that side was a row of old apartment buildings. As we approached the end of the block, I saw daddy standing on the curb, waving us down. Grandpa pulled in and I got out as soon as he parked, running towards daddy. I slammed into him and pressed the side of my face against his belly while wrapping my arms around him. Daddy's shirt was damp and he smelled of sweat. It was late in the afternoon and he had been fixing up the place all day. Still, when I took in his scent, his warmth and the familiar musk comforted me. It had only been one night but I still missed daddy. He tousled my hair and looked down at me, smiling. He broke the hug as grandpa went around the car, and they gave each other a quick hug. "What do you think?" daddy asked grandpa. "It's a nice street, isn't it?" Grandpa raised his eyebrow and took a deep breath as he surveyed the street. "It's nice enough," he started, "but it's a sketchy part of town, don't you think?" They exchanged looks for a moment, then daddy turned his attention to me. "You ready to see the new place?" daddy asked. "Yeah!" I replied. I took his hand as he held it out, and we walked up the stairs to enter the building. It took four flights of stairs until we got to the top floor. Grandpa followed soon after, catching his breath. "You okay there, dad?" daddy said, chuckling. "It's...a walk up," grandpa replied, out of breath. Daddy laughed at him as he rested his arm around my shoulder. "Come on," daddy nudged. Daddy led us to the end of the hall and opened the door to our new apartment. He went straight in but grandpa and I took a moment to enter. The door opened up to a short walkway, at the end of which was the door to the bathroom. The first thing we saw from across the door was the kitchen and the island counter, tucked in a corner. As we walked down to the end of the walkway, we saw the rest of the apartment. In front of the kitchen was a small, wooden dining table laid right beside big glass doors that opened up to a balcony. On the wall opposite of that, daddy mounted a small flatscreen, and there was a small couch in front of it. In the far corner of the apartment was a big bed, partly concealed by floor-to-ceiling shelves--a makeshift bedroom. The whole apartment floor was tiled with ill-maintained wooden planks, and the walls were covered with faded wallpaper that had a vintage pattern in green and gold. I went to take a closer look at the apartment as daddy met grandpa by the dining table. They talked in hushed tones so I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded like they were in a bit of an argument. I went through the gap between the shelves and the closets and entered what was basically a bedroom. I figured that daddy and I would be sleeping together in the big bed, and my heart skipped a beat as the memory of that night in the motel flashed in my head. The bed frame itself looked old. It was made of metal but the brown paint coating it had chipped off everywhere. The sheets seemed new, though. I leaned over to sniff them and confirmed that they were. It looks like daddy had just fitted them onto the mattress. I sat at the edge of the bed and jumped a few times to see how soft the mattress was. The mattress itself was a bit hard, but as I jumped I heard springs giving in and bouncing back up. I giggled softly as I rode them. I laid my head down on the pillow and caught a whiff of daddy's scent on it. I buried my face in his pillow and breathed in more of it. I then figured that I'd be sleeping at the other end of the bed, next to the wall. I got off the bed and inspected the shelves. There was nothing in them yet but daddy decorated them with a few pots of fake plants, which I found to be a nice touch. As I peered through the bare shelves, I could see that grandpa and daddy were still arguing. Daddy was looking down, gripping the backrest of one of the chairs while grandpa looked like he was scolding him. I started toward them to break it up. "Get over your pride!" I heard grandpa say in a hushed tone as I approached. They ended their conversation as soon as I came to the table, and daddy smiled at me as he sighed. "How do you like the place, Danny?" daddy asked as he squatted to level with me. "I like it, daddy," I replied. "I think it looks cozy." Daddy turned toward grandpa. "See, grandpa? It's cozy," he said teasingly. Grandpa scoffed and daddy smirked as he planted a big kiss on my cheek. His stubble tickled. "I don't like the wallpaper, though," I added. "Okay. I'll do something about that," daddy replied and gave me another kiss on the cheek. He stood as grandpa made his way to the bathroom. He peered in but didn't enter, and he stepped back out and closed the door. "Well...at least the bathroom's clean," grandpa announced. He held his arms akimbo and turned to me. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat?" he asked me. "Actually, dad, I think it's still a little early for dinner," daddy interrupted. "I was planning to stop by Sal's first? I think it would help if I had you there." "Right! Right," grandpa replied. "Let's get a move on then, before he closes up." *** After a silent, 15-minute drive, grandpa parked the car in front of a store. The storefront was all glass and on display were elaborate sculptures made of wood. They reminded me of the ones daddy used to make when I was very little. My earliest memories were of me sitting in daddy's workshop, watching him carve sculptures out of logs. It always amazed me how daddy could turn an ordinary cylinder of wood into marvelous figures like dragons, fish, and even people. He stopped making them around the time mommy first got sick. And when mommy's condition got worse, all he made was furniture, and he would be in his workshop until late at night, working on building furniture. The furniture was nice, but the sculptures were awesome. I missed them terribly. Shortly before we moved, a pair of men visited the house and took away all of daddy's equipment. Debt collectors, daddy called them. Daddy argued with them loudly for a couple of hours before they finally hauled the equipment away. I had never seen him so angry. Later that night, I snuck up on daddy and caught him staring blankly at his emptied workshop. There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite place. I had meant to surprise him to cheer him up, but something told me to leave him alone, so I did. I looked away from the storefront display and peered from the backseat to watch daddy's face. He was staring at the display too, and he had a nervous look on his face. "Come on," grandpa said to him slowly, resting his hand on daddy's shoulder. Daddy turned to grandpa and grandpa gave him a look of reassurance. "Daddy, they're like the ones you used to make!" I said as we got out of the car. "Yeah, well, let's hope I get to make them again," daddy replied, patting me in the back. An older man looked up from the counter as we entered the shop. "Garrett!" the man bellowed. He came out of the counter and hurried toward daddy. He was quite a bit shorter than daddy and grandpa. He was also stout and balding, but there was a kindness to his face that was easy to trust. "My boy," he uttered as he gave daddy a big hug. Daddy hugged him back. "It's good to see you, Sal." Sal broke the hug and held out his hand to grandpa. "Victor, brother, how's it going?" "Good, good. Just helping out the boys here a bit." "Good, good. That's good," Sal replied. "I heard about everything," Sal said as he turned to daddy. "I'm so sorry, big guy. How you holding up?" "Best I can," daddy replied, laughing awkwardly. "Thanks, Sal." "Of course, of course. Whatever you need." Sal then turned his attention to me. "And this must be your little Danny?" Sal said. I nodded and smiled politely. "He's a little shy," daddy remarked. "Daniel, this is Sal. He's a friend of the family's." "How you doing, young man?" Sal asked as he held out his hand. "Okay," I said quietly as I shook his hand. "Your daddy taking care of you?" "Yes, sir," He turned to daddy and grandpa with a surprised look on his face. "And they say kids don't have manners anymore!" The men laughed. I joined along, although I didn't really understand what was so funny. "You know, I gave your old man here his first break," Sal boasted to me. "You ever seen him make one of these?" he asked, gesturing to the sculptures. "They're beautiful!" "Yes, I have, sir," I replied. "Oh! Please, call me uncle Sal." "Okay, uncle Sal." Daddy pulled me in front of him. I looked up at uncle Sal while daddy rested his hands on my shoulders. "He used to watch me work all the time when he was little," daddy said to uncle Sal. "They were beautiful," I added. "That's my boy," uncle Sal said, gripping daddy's shoulder and shaking it. "Actually," daddy started, clearing his throat. "That's sort of what brings me here, Sal. Is this a good time?" Uncle Sal turned around and he wagged his finger in the air as he came back behind the counter. He put his glasses on and rummaged through some paperwork. "Soon as I heard you were moving back here, I knew you might need my help," he started. "Tsk, where is it..." he muttered. He bent down and grabbed a rolodex. He started flipping through it and continued, "Listen, Garrett. I tried to make it work, soon as your old man dropped word--aha!" He snatched a card from the rolodex and made his way back out of the counter. "I would love nothing more than to see you work here again, but my house is full, Garrett. I'm sorry." I could feel daddy tightening his grip on my shoulders as he took the news. "I got three guys here who got kids of their own, you know? And I got two kids who're just starting out, just like you were, all those years ago." "Of course," daddy muttered. "But! I made some calls. I think I still got you a job. It's not here, but it's good." Uncle Sal handed him a card and daddy took it. "Sal, you shouldn't have," daddy said. "Nonsense," uncle Sal replied. "He's a foreman. Used to be, anyway. Long time ago. Now he works for this fancy firm. Good guy. Tough--like you. And he needs an experienced pair of hands. Now, it's more carpentry than woodwork, but he's a fair guy and it's a good job." Daddy smiled and thanked uncle Sal. Uncle Sal patted daddy on the shoulder. "You give him a call and tell him you're Sal's boy, you hear?" "I will. Thanks a lot, Sal." I stepped aside so they could hug one more time. I turned to grandpa and saw him smiling, watching them. They shook hands and we said our goodbyes. As we headed for the door, daddy stopped and examined a piece of shaved wood that was resting on the countertop. It was thick and cylindrical, about the shape of a Coke can. "Hey Sal, can I have this?" daddy called out. "It's yours." We exited uncle Sal's shop and got in the car. "Pizza?" grandpa asked. "Pizza!" I yelled back. Grandpa laughed at me and rested his sights on daddy. Daddy held out his fist and grandpa bumped it with his, and smiled. *** Grandpa and I went ahead into the pizza place while daddy stayed outside to make a call. I could see daddy through the window as we settled into our booth. He was pacing back and forth, but he was upbeat and smiling a lot, which I guessed was a good sign. The waiter came to take our order, and we went with the supreme and three cokes. As the waiter walked away, grandpa turned to me. "So, Danny. How'd you like the new place your dad got for you?" "It's okay, grandpa. It's a lot smaller than our old house, but it really does look cozy." "Better than grandpa's house?" "Of course not!" "Well, if you wanted, you and your dad could just stay in grandpa's house." My eyes lit up. "Really?!" "Yeah! Then you could have my cooking everyday." I slobbered at the thought. "Why couldn't we just stay at your house then, grandpa?" I asked, pretending I hadn't listened in on their conversation yesterday. "Well, kiddo, you'd have to ask your dad." As he said that, daddy walked in with his head held high. He slid into the booth beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed. "Daddy! Daddy! Grandpa says we could stay at his house instead of the new place!" Daddy's beaming smile turned into a frown instantly. "Oh, come on, dad!" daddy said, glaring at grandpa. Grandpa threw his hands up. "Hey, I was just giving little Danny here an option." "You know what you're doing, dad," daddy scoffed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't undermine me in front of my own kid." "I wasn't undermining you, Garrett. I just think Danny should have a say too." "Okay. We're not talking about this again." Grandpa tried to continue but daddy shot him a look telling him to zip it. The waiter came with our order and the three of us sat in silence. "Is that what you guys were arguing about earlier?" I asked, breaking the ice. "Don't worry about it, Danny," daddy said. "Well, yes, Danny. We were arguing about your living situation," grandpa added. "Dad," daddy said, glaring at grandpa again. "I'm sorry, son," grandpa said emphatically, as if to pull rank. "We're not done talking about this." Daddy groaned. "That place is simply too small, Garrett. That's no way for you and Danny to live, especially when I have plenty of room." "The place is big enough, dad-" "And one bed? You're gonna be sleeping in one bed? Danny's basically already a teenager, and you, of all people, should know that boys need their privacy." "Dad! Can you not?" "Oh, he doesn't know what I'm talking about. But he will soon," grandpa turned to me and winked, although I wasn't sure what for. Daddy groaned again. "And what happens when you start dating again? You gonna have Danny on that bed with you while you have someone over?" "What does that mean, daddy?" I asked. "Are you gonna have sleepovers?" "No, baby-" "Actually, yes, Danny. Your dad's gonna have sleepovers soon." Daddy buried his head in his palms and groaned. "Boys need their privacy," grandpa continued, "and men have their needs. And one of those needs will require some sleepovers. It's just fact." "Dad, this is really inappropriate to be talking about in front of Danny." I was lost. I had no clue what grandpa was rambling about. I was curious about the sleepovers daddy was planning, but I started to think it was some sort of code word--the ones that grownups often use. "I'm just trying to get you to see reason, Garrett. Tell me those concerns are nuts." "Look, I get what you're saying, dad. But it's not like we're gonna stay there forever. It's only until I can get us back on our feet. Then we'll get a bigger place." "And how long is that gonna be? A year? Two years? You're telling me you're gonna hold off on sleepovers for two years, when you haven't had one in almost three? Hah!" "Well it's not like me staying at my parents' house is gonna help those sleepovers along any more." "I'm being serious, Garrett." "Well, I'm not joking either, dad." Daddy rubbed his face and scratched his head. "Look, I said I'd think about it, dad. I really will. But could just stop nagging me about it? You're not helping." Grandpa paused, staring at daddy with his eyebrow raised. "Fine," grandpa said finally. Then he turned to me. "I'm sorry, Danny. You didn't need to see that." I shrugged as I sipped on my soda. "It's okay, grandpa." I wanted to ask about the sleepovers or more about staying at grandpa's, but daddy looked pretty peeved about the subject so I decided not to say anything more. We ate in silence again for a while, then grandpa changed the subject. "So, how was your call?" grandpa asked daddy. Daddy smiled with his mouth full and puffed out his chest. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder again as he chewed, waiting to swallow before he spoke. "He was really eager to speak, actually. I'm seeing him tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure I got the job," daddy announced. "And the pay's actually better than I expected. Certainly more than what I was willing to settle for." He shook me with his arm as he beamed at me. "I think things are starting to turn around for us, Danny." "That's great, daddy!" I said, smiling. I hadn't seen daddy this happy or proud in quite a while. I was relieved for him. "That's great news, son," grandpa said. "Thanks, dad. Really. If you hadn't sounded off to Sal, this probably wouldn't have happened. So, thank you." Grandpa smirked. "I told you, I'm only looking out for you." "Yeah, but why do you have to be so annoying about it?" They exchanged looks then daddy snickered. Grandpa sighed and ate his pizza. The mood was lighter after that, and I got to enjoy the pizza without the tension hovering over the table. I ate the rest of my pizza but my mind stayed with those sleepovers. Why did men need them? *** When we got back to the apartment building, daddy asked me to wait by the door as he and grandpa talked for a bit, out on the curb. I couldn't make out what they were saying but it looked like a serious talk. After a bit, they hugged and walked over. Daddy held in his hands that wooden cylinder he got at uncle Sal's shop. Grandpa gave me a hug too as we said our goodbyes. Then grandpa drove off and daddy and I made our way up to the new place. I sat watching TV as daddy took a shower. I glanced around at the apartment as I heard the water start running. It was much smaller than what I was used to, but it really did feel cozy and quaint. It had the potential to be a home, especially with daddy around. Daddy and I both went through our night routines and soon found ourselves on the bed. "I'm so tired," daddy said as he sighed. "You know I've been up since 5am today?" "Geez, daddy. That's really early." "I know. But I was fixing up this place." "It's nice, daddy. I think you did a good job." Daddy turned to me. "Do you really like it, honey?" I paused a bit to think. "Yeah, daddy. I think it's super cozy." I snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arm over my shoulder. "Except the wallpaper." Daddy laughed. "I'll do something about that, I promise." I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist. "Aren't you cold?" daddy asked. I figured he asked because I was only in my briefs. "I always sleep like this, daddy. You know that." "Yeah, but don't you get cold?" I pondered his question for a bit, but I felt the warmth of his chest against my cheek. "You keep me warm, daddy." I straddled his leg and playfully rubbed it with mine. Daddy chuckled. "Okay, Danny. Whatever you say." My eyes were still closed but I could feel that daddy was strained above my head. I looked up at him and caught him staring. "What is it, daddy?" He paused, still staring at me. "Nothing, baby. You just...you look like someone I know." "Really? Who?" He smiled. "Doesn't matter. Hey, go to sleep." He kissed me on the head and hugged me tight. I resumed my position and rested my head on his chest, closing my eyes while he rubbed my back to lull me to sleep. I still wondered who he was talking about, but as I felt the rhythm of daddy's breathing and inhaled his scent, I drifted off to sleep. *** Later that night, I was woken from my sleep. I felt around for daddy but realized that he wasn't in bed anymore. When I opened my eyes, I saw him through the shelves, sitting at the dining table. I rubbed my eyes to get a better look. All the lights were off and the room was illuminated only by moonlight. It shone on him over the table like a spotlight while he was fiddling with something in his hands. I squinted to see it better, and I saw that he was carving that piece of wood he got at uncle Sal's store. He had a few of his implements on the table, and he was using one of his small carving knives, shaving off the piece of wood. It's hard to describe the look he had on his face. It reminded me of that look he had when he was staring at his emptied workshop, but this wasn't exactly the same. This look was tinged with something else; I couldn't tell if it was anger, or determination, or frustration. I wanted to go over there to keep daddy company, but something told me that I should leave him alone. Concerned as I was, I decided to stay put. And I watched daddy carve away under the moonlight, until I fell asleep again. ----- If you liked this story, please consider supporting Nifty by visiting -----