The
School
of
FathersThis morning, when Vince left, we rode all the way to the base in silence. When we got to the recruitment building, I said “good luck” and “write us.” We didn’t even hug.
To be completely honest, before he came I had hoped not to see Vince again. I knew I would see him, inevitably, but I didn’t want it.
I think of Vince as my first failure as a father although he’s not my son. When Nanay had him I was already sixteen. A year later Tatay died and I left for college. I’m afraid I’ve been too much that way with Emil and Marisa. Eat, sleep; come and go. Gemma I know better: I buy her favorite peanuts, I don’t tell her ghost stories that are too scary. With Vince, I never know.
His arrival was at such a bad time, too. Gemma had been sick and had a cold that worried us
