Short Stories
HOWARD
by Lamar Taylor
Howard wasn’t happy. In fact, he was downright angry. He hated this place, and he didn’t like his roommate, Ben, who rarely talked except to complain about the TV.
Howard was a rancher who had worked hard all his life. On rare days when he was sick, he had just bulled his way through and worked anyway.
A stroke had put Howard in the San Acacio Care Center. Now he spent his days in a wheel chair or in bed. He rarely read, and he had no hobbies. The ranch had been his life.
He didn’t like being here with all these people. Many couldn’t talk or get around without help or even feed themselves. It was depressing.
The decision to place Howard in San Acacio hadn’t been easy. His wife, Annie, was in poor health, although he hardly realized it. She never complained and had taken good care of him and their family, working right along side him. Spoiled him, some would say. His son, Danny, worked with him. The oldest son, Joe, lived in Montana. Amy was in Canada, and Phillip lived in Virginia.
“Lunch time, Howard.” It was Maria, one of the CNA’s. Howard grumbled. She was a cheerful young woman who tried to cheer him up.
“Hope we’re not having those instant spuds again,” Howard said with a frown. He liked real potatoes from the valley. And beef from the ranch. “It’s Thanksgiving,” Maria said, ”There’s turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.”
“Humph. It’s not like what my Annie fixes. Is Danny bringing her to see me? We always have Thanksgiving at our house.”
“I don’t know, Howard.”
“Maybe they’ll take me out of this miserable place. Annie can take care of me at home.”
Maria shook her head and pushed him toward the dining room.
Danny and his mother arrived about 1:15.
“How come you didn’t come get me for Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Now, Howard, I told you last week I was going to help feed the homeless today. You just forgot.”
“They oughta be out workin’. Then they wouldn’t be homeless.” Annie kissed him on his forehead.
“I brought you a piece of my famous pumpkin pie.”
“Good,” Howard said. “The stuff they serve here doesn’t qualify as food.”
“Now, Howard, I’ve eaten here. And the food is good. I know you like mine better, but…”
“Why can’t I come home?”
“Dad, we’ve talked about this,” Danny answered. “Mom can’t take care of you, and I can’t take you in. Molly’s got all she can do with David. And I have to keep the ranch going.”
“Just get me back to the ranch and I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”
Danny was the only child who could work with his dad. He had wanted to go to college and become an engineer, but his dad needed him. Howard really wanted Joe as his partner. Wasn’t it the duty of the oldest son to take over the family ranch? It wasn’t easy playing second fiddle, but Danny didn’t let it make him bitter.
“Why’d he have to run off to college and then wander around all over the country? He coulda made a good livin’ with us on the ranch. We could have made it the best ranch in the valley.” It was one of the best in the valley, having won many awards for its quality beef and innovative resource conservation efforts.
“Did Joe come for Thanksgiving?” Joe hadn’t been to see his dad in 5 years. The last time they were together, they had a big argument.
“No, Howard. They couldn’t be here. He’s in charge of their church’s Thanksgiving ministry on the reservation.”
“How about Christmas. Will he be here then?”
“They’re supposed to go to Jody’s folks this year.”
“Was he here last year?”
Danny started to speak, “Dad, you know that you and he don’t…”
Annie interrupted him. “No, Howard, he wasn’t. Don’t you remember? They went to watch Jack play in that bowl game with the university.”
Danny sensed his mother’s distress, but knew she just continued to love Howard. Danny wondered why she’d stayed with his dad all these years. “Oh, he’s a good man at heart. Just show him respect like the Bible says.” That had been difficult, but Danny loved his mother and heeded her soft-spoken but firm instruction.
The phone startled Howard out of his sleep. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. “Annie, answer the phone!” It kept ringing. Then he remembered.
Ben stirred in his bed. “Whazzat?”
Howard ignored him and picked up the phone.
“Hello.”
“Dad. It’s Joe.”
“Joe? Where you at?”
“Still in Montana, Dad, you know, working for the Forest Service.”
“When you gonna come home? You know, you at least oughta come see your mother.”
“That’s why I called. We’ll be there for Christmas.”
“You will? Well, it’s about time.”
Joe ignored his dad’s comment.
“We’ll be there a couple of days before Christmas.”
“But,…”
“Just let me finish, okay? First, please forgive me for not coming to see you and Mom, especially since you’ve been sick. And, you and I need to talk. We need to get some things worked out between us. I want this Christmas to be a fresh start for you and me.”
“There’s nothin’ to work out, Joe. Just come home.”
“Phil and Kathy and their family are coming, too. And Amy. We’ll be there the 23rd . And, Dad?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you.”
Howard couldn’t speak for a moment. He’d never said that to his children, and only rarely to Annie.
“Well, you just come home.”
Howard hung up the phone. Maria popped her head in the door.
“I heard your phone ring. Everything OK?” .
“Aw, just my son, Joe, up in Montana. He’s comin’ to see me for Christmas. Where’s that tissue box? I got somethin’ in my eye.”
[This short story was originally published in the 2009 Willow Creek Journal, an annual publication of the Creede (CO) Arts Council. The author retains all rights to the story.]
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