Janet came beside him and took the phone.
“Nate, hi honey. How are you?”
“I"m good. I can"t talk long. It"s pretty late over here, but I just wanted say happy birthday to Dad.”
“Well, he"s right here,” she said taking the phone over to the table. She put her hand over the receiver and said, “Neil, it"s Nate. He"s calling to wish you a happy birthday.”
“Hello, Nate,” Neil said. “Yes, I"m having a good time. Yes, having cake and cream. Where are you? Najaf, where"s that? … uh-huh. What"re you doing there? … Working with the locals. Sounds interesting. By the way, when are you coming home? Your mother misses you … Oh, okay. Well, you take care of yourself. Here"s your mother.”
Janet put the phone to her ear. “Nate, you still there?”
“Yes … Dad"s getting a lot worse, isn"t he?”
“Yes, ho
