Episode 10
My father picked up on the fourth ring.
That little delay said everything. He had been in the other room, moving slowly. His phone was probably not close by because his life was no longer busy with activities that made him keep it handy.
“Harper.” His voice carried the same warmth it always did. That part was still the same. Everything else about him had changed in the eleven years since the collapse, but when he said my name, it still sounded exactly like home.
He sounded older though.
Six weeks since our last call, and the difference showed. I sat on the edge of my bed in a room that cost more than he had earned in a month. I kept my voice light and asked about his week.
He told me about the neighbor’s dog that now sat at his gate every evening. A new television series h
