Once we were home and in the hallway to our respective apartments, Billy asked, “Do you want me to come with you…to call your dad?”
“Thanks, but no, I need to do this alone. I"ll see you in the morning,” I replied, and smiled feebly.
I decided I needed some liquid courage first, so I grabbed a beer. Once I"d swallowed half of it, I sent my dad a text message so he would know to log onto Skype. Then I turned my computer on and waited. It took him five minutes to respond. His face was still tan from spending the summer and early fall outdoors, and he wore a t-shirt under his favorite cardigan sweater. The ensemble usually meant he was in for the night and probably watching TV in his recliner.
“Hey boy, been a while. What"cha been up to?” His smile turned into a frown when he registered my
