A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber Page 0,85
tell me you took her to dinner at Denny’s,” I said, joking with him. I loved hearing the details of Mom and Dad’s courtship. We all knew our father had been in the military and that he’d met Mom while stationed at Fort Lewis, but not how they’d met or how long it’d taken him to convince her to date him.
“No, I took her to a little seafood place by the ocean.”
“Oceanside?”
He nodded. “Seeing how much she enjoyed being on that beach, I said if she’d agree to marry me, I’d move us here.”
“Dad, you mean to say you proposed on your first date?”
He chuckled. “Yup. That woman had my heart wrapped around her little finger. If she’d wanted to move to the moon, I’d have found a way.”
“How long did it take for you to convince her to marry you?”
He grinned as if proud of himself. “In less than six months she had my engagement ring on her finger. We waited until I was released from the Army and she got that degree she wanted so badly, and then we married. I found work in Oceanside and she taught at the junior high until Lucas was born.”
He grew serious then, his eyes sad. “I always thought we’d grow old together. I assumed I’d be the one to die first; it generally happens that way, me being five years older and all.”
“One never knows,” Harper whispered, her breath wispy.
“It was always my job to provide for the family. Your mother wanted to be at home with you children. I encouraged it. Oh, how she loved you; she took such pride in each one of you. When she died”—he stopped for a moment, but was able to continue—“I felt that I’d somehow failed her. It was my job to care for her. To see to her needs, to be her protector. That’s what a loving husband does. It was why I found solace in a bottle after we buried her. I’d failed her, failed all of you. Countless nights I sat, wondering if there was something I’d missed, something I should have seen before that aneurysm.”
“Daddy…”
“No, please let me finish.”
Seeing how hard it was for him to speak of our mother, I moved closer and sat in the chair next to his. Seated, we were eye level with Harper.
“After we buried your mom, it didn’t seem more than a blink of an eye and we learned Harper had leukemia. Getting hit with that news was too much for me to take. I’d failed Claire and then I’d failed Harper.”
“No…” Harper stopped him. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s a father’s job to see to the welfare of his family. First Claire and then my sweet baby girl and I could do nothing. I let you all down, and honey, I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Harper whispered.
“Willa, you carried the load that was mine. I was selfish and unfair, a weakling when you needed me to be strong. If it wasn’t for you our entire family would have imploded.”
My throat was thick. I leaned toward our father, and he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
“I’m here,” he said. “You need me, you call, and I’ll come. You two girls and your brother are my world. I’m nothing without you. I’ll never touch a bottle of liquor again; you have my word on that.”
“Dad.”
“No, I mean it. I went back to AA and have a sponsor. I can’t do this alone, and I know it. I’ve got God on my side and a whole meeting full of men and women who have made it and are here to help me along the way. I’m finished burying my pain in the bottom of a bottle. The only thing alcohol has given me is more grief, more self-pity, more headaches, and more wrong turns. I’m on the right path now. I’m ready to be the father I should have always been.”
“Love you, Dad,” Harper said.
“Love you,” I repeated.
He nodded. “Lucas and I had this talk a while back, said I’d give the same one to you two. Told him to love his wife the same way I loved Claire and he assured me he already did.”
He stood then, and, leaning down, kissed Harper’s cheek. “Rest well, baby girl. I’m meeting Lucas and Chantelle for dinner.” He looked at me. “Join us, Willa. Your dad’s treating.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stay with Harper a while longer.”