Act 1 scene 5: still at the wood pile, Junior has decided to be bold, he is scared to death, he doesn’t know how his father is going to react once he puts it out there
Son: “Dad, do remember when I was eleven years old and you promised to take me fishing?”
Dad: “That was a long time ago, which time?”
Son: “Exactly dad. There were so many and you never did and that last time, (he waivers a bit and his voice trails off) that last time you didn’t even want me.”
Dad: “Son, you know I wanted to take you, I must have gotten busy.”
Son: “No dad, you didn’t want me.” (the look on his dads face makes him cringe a little)
Dad: “Son, I don’t know what you are talking about, of course I want you, I love you, your my son.”
Son: “Dad, I waited all day. After all those other times of you not following through just kept building up. Then you were so late. When you got home it was getting late and was dark. You were heading back out and you left me standing there, you didn’t even talk to me.”
Dad: “Son…”
Son: “Then mom had to go after you into the driveway and I could see you didn’t want to take me. She had to convince you to take me. You didn’t want me.”
Dad: “Son. I remember that time.”
Son: “Really?”
Dad: “Yes. I was struggling at work. Fishing with that friend of mine was my only time off. Remember the fishing raft we went to.”
Son: “Yeah.”
Dad: “Do remember my friend being with us?”
Son: “No.”
Dad: “That’s because when I took you he opted out so we could have the raft to ourselves. I had been confiding in him about our financial situation at the time and he didn’t want you to see him and all he had compared to me. He didn’t want you thinking less of me.”
Son: “I was too little, your my dad, I was just glad I was with you.”
Dad: “Do you remember when you opened the supply cupboard?”
Son: “Oh yea, that sucker was packed tight with all kinds of good stuff.”
Dad: “And what did I tell you.”
Son: (he has to stop and think hard) “I vaguely remember you saying something about who bought it.”
Dad:“That’s right. My friend went in with a group of guys to build the raft and they all go fishing for two weeks together. My friend knows I couldn’t afford the buy in so he was letting me hang out before the big crew showed up. That was some one else’s food and I wasn’t a part of that. Do you remember how you felt when I said you couldn’t have any?”
Son: “Yea, kinda like when you were going to leave me at the house.”
Dad: “How do you think that made me feel when I saw the look on your face?”
Son: “I remember us talking outside when it got too hot inside, how we were laughing.”
Dad: “You were always easy to hang out with. I always appreciated that about you, I just thought you were a quiet kid. Remember the time we were hunting in the rain or the time I went to court with you because you got into that fight.”
Son: “Yeah, that was a tall son-of-a-gun and how you stood up and told the Judge that I wasn’t a troubled kid. The cop that knew mom leaned over and whispered something to him. I never told you Thank You for that.”
Son: “Dad, my heart broke that day and I just couldn’t get passed it and then we just stopped talking and hanging out altogether.”
Dad: “I’m so sorry son. I didn’t know how to deal with kids your age. When your little it’s easy. You just need to be hugged when your little. I thought that was the way it goes. You grow up and get all disgruntled and we learn how to deal with it.”
Son: “I realized when I was pretty young that we didn’t have a lot of money. That’s why I was so quiet… I didn’t want to make you and mom stressed out by asking for a lot of stuff. Then eventually I just quit asking… period.”
Dad: “Son, please forgive me. I was too wrapped up in myself and I wasn’t taking care of my problems and I lost track of you. A father should never do that. Times come and go, good and bad, and you have your ups and downs but a lost childhood… most folks don’t ever recover from that. I’m so sorry you carried that burden around for so long, it wasn’t yours to carry. That is one thing that I love about you. You are so observant and smart, must come from all that reading your always doing.”
Scene: [stepping over to his son, the father wraps his arms around his son and squeezes, hard, hugging and shedding a brief tear with him]
Scene: the father then pushes his son out to arms length and looks him in the face and says,
Dad: “Takes a brave man to do what you just did. Tell ya what. You go in and wash up for supper and I’ll move and stack the last load. It will give me a minute alone.”
Scene: [wiping the tears from his face, the son gives his dad a quick last hug and slaps him on the shoulder as he fixes his hat and starts his way back to the house]
Scene: [the dad watches him go and when he walks into the back door of the house he turns to the wood pile and says]
Dad: “Father in heaven please forgive me.”
Scene: [dad starts to weep as he starts to move the firewood, thinking about the pain his son has been carrying around all this time and how he missed it]
Fade to black.
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