Amanda Maddox

The Solitary Man.

Visiting Claire's home was like visiting a boot camp. Mr. Johnson was very disciplined and everything had to have a place. There was order all around their home. She had to keep her room clean, and her bed had to be made each morning. Her father also taught her to clean the kitchen after she cooked or baked something. Daniel Johnson was a neat freak. And why wouldn't he? He was a First Sergeant in the Marine Corps.

Another thing we had in common with Claire.

Both of our dads were passionally committed to the military. My dad did it for honor. My grandpa and uncle Ben also served in the Navy. Whereas Daniel had done it because it was the best option for him when his girlfriend, Stephanie, had gotten pregnant. Innitially. Because Mr. Johnson loved what he did, and his unit was his family. He was devoted to serving for as long as he could, except that his plans had changed once his ex-wife left him. His life changed when he became a single dad. His traveling had to come to an end, and he settled for a job at the Pentagon in order to be more involved in his daughter's life.

And it kind of bothered me that Claire couldn't see what an extraordinary father she had.

Daniel was a great dad.

"Hi, Mr. Johnson." I greeted my best friend's father when I entered the kitchen with Claire. "It smells good in here."

"Hey! Are you staying for dinner tonight?" he asked both of us. He was in the middle of prepping something on the stove. And I could tell it was something delicious. Claire and I normally went to the library on Thursday evenings, which was a couple of blocks down our street. This was the second year we volunteered with one of the local elementary schools in the area. They had some sort of literacy night where we read books to the kids, or the kids read to us — depending on the label of their reading abilities.

"Mandy and I will grab a bite when we come back," Claire shouted as she pulled me out of the house. We were running a few minutes late. At first, I had such a hard time convincing her to join me on this project. But she changed her mind once she started dating Josh Nelson. He was also a senior, volunteering in the library with me. We needed these community hours for our graduation.

"I would rather have eaten your dad's food," I complained. She rolled her eyes at me.

She kept tugging on my sweater until we arrived at the library, where she dumped me a couple of minutes later and left with Josh. They always did the same. I walked next door to the small smoothie shop, after my reading session with a cute third-grader who asked me out on a date had ended. But this time, I decided to change our game plan. I chose not to wait for Claire and Josh to return. I walked back to her house and told her father she had stayed with one of the other girls in the program. I felt like he was going to call me out on the lie, his eyes were like a lie detector scanner.

I never really saw Daniel going out of the house — unless it was for work or to buy groceries. He was a very solitary man. Never even brought friends to their house. "Claire, has your father ever thought about dating again?" I had asked my friend a long time ago.

"He's never mentioned anyone, and I think it's better that way," she responded to my curiosity. He was very good-looking, and he's remained single ever since Stephanie packed her bags and walked away. It had been almost three years to that date.

I had no idea what had gotten into me that night. He was sitting on his couch, watching Law & Order when I walked in. His eyes found mine, and he gave me a dimmed smile. I sauntered across the living room and sat on the other side of the L-shaped settee. His eyes turned back to the TV, but his hand shared a bowl of popcorn with me. I took it from him.

"So, what did you cook for dinner?" I asked.

"Chicken Carbonara."

"I knew you had cooked something good."

"Where is Claire?"

"Uhm! She stayed with Alicia." I kept chewing on the popcorn, hoping he would not ask any more questions. But I could feel his eyes scanning my face.

"I've already packed the food and put it in the refrigerator. I thought you guys would eat something at Mike's."

"Nuh! Your food smelled way better than his greasy burgers," I joked. And with that, I went into the kitchen.

Dad and Daniel had nothing in common.

They had enjoyed an amber brew years ago when his wife and my mom had a Fourth of July barbecue, but their animosity was palpable. I blamed dad for that. Steven Maddox liked to run his mouth about how his branch was praiseworthy, and from time to time, he would look down on military branches. He was full of s**t.

That night, as I sat on that kitchen island to eat his heavenly-inspired pasta, something within me awakened. I imagined myself wearing his white undershirt as my pajamas. I was sitting on that counter, eating a breakfast that not only watered my mouth, it also melted my core. Daniel Johnson was a man with so many great virtues, and I wanted to get to know some of them.