Letting Go

Letting Go

by

storyteller

“Please, can I go tonight, Dad?”

“No, son,” George tried to smile at his eight year old.

“Please?”

“No,” George told him softly, afraid to let him go; needing him to stay here. If he left he’d be gone far too long.

“I’m bored here. There’s nothing for me to do. I wanna go. Please?!”

“No.”

“Then play with me. Let’s play catch or put some model cars together.”

George longed to do just that, but it wasn’t possible. He settled for having Bobby around.

“The championship game is on cable tonight. I’ll make some popcorn.” The expression on Bobby’s face told George that he would be watching alone tonight, as usual. Bobby only wanted to go and George couldn’t allow that.

“I’m going up to my room.”

George nodded. Though he no longer cared who won or lost the championship, he watched anyway. Watching TV still held, however vaguely, the illusion of family life. Bobby was in his room, playing, and Jenny was in their bedroom.

George drank more than usual during the two hours of the game and was feeling light-headed when he sensed a presence behind him. He turned and saw Jenny standing by the front door. A suitcase sat beside her left leg.

“I’m leaving.” She told him.

“Why?” George asked for very little from her these last three years. He worked as much overtime as he could to keep up the payments on the medical bills. Was Bobby’s presence during the few hours he was at home too much to ask?

According to Jenny it was. She only spoke to him to urge him to let Bobby go and he only spoke to her to tell her no. George’s illusions of family life was tearing apart at the seams, he closed his eyes.

“You can’t change and I can’t take it anymore. I’m feeling well enough to be on my own. When you can accept the reality of … call me.”

“You just need more time to heal. Then things will return to normal."

“I’m not the one who needs to heal, George,” Jenny said, “The doctor said that you need to deal with the fact that Bobby died in the car accident. I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s true. You can’t go on like this every night. You’re driving yourself crazy and I’m going crazy. Let Bobby go.”

Bobby was behind her, leaning against the door jam. Seeing that small, thin face of the only child that they could ever have, he knew that he couldn’t let him go. “No. You may have changed, but nothing else has because I won’t let it. Bobby is a good boy; he obeys his father.”

Jenny left the house with saying another word and Bobby walked to the couch..

“It’ll be alright, Bobby.” George said. He began recalling the happy times before the accident. George concentrated intensely on those moments. Suddenly they were together again, like before the accident. Jenny was healthy and happy and smiling at him. Bobby’s face showed the old mischief.

"Let’s make some popcorn and stay up and watch the late movie!” George said.

For the first time in many, many months they both agreed with him. Everything was beginning to be alright now.

END

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