Lie Father Lie Son

Hey folks. Thank you for stopping by and giving this story a chance. I'm sure this isn't original in its context, but it's my first time writing a storyline like this.

Like Father, like son

is a short tale of a man who lived his life by the values of his father, and when his father's values look like they've been blurred, it has a significant impact on him and his family. The widowed father is tempted by a younger woman who has a more modern woman approach to relationships than he or his son. Would this affect his own marriage?

Self-edited, so errors will occur. It has been a great process for me and therapeutic. Hopefully, there's nothing so glaring to ruin the read for you. Above all... it's just a story. Complete fiction. Please keep that in mind. Sex is more implied than explicit.

Cheers,

C_T

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Like father, like son

I may have been a mistake when I was conceived, but I never felt like it growing up. I was an unforeseen accident between two graduating high schoolers, the shotgun child of Henry Hutchinson and Elizabeth Morrison.

As my parents tell me the story, they were young lovers who got caught up in their hormones and went a little too far, late on a Saturday night. My mom found out she was pregnant two weeks before their prom, and as she put it... my dad never hesitated for a second.

Shortly after graduation, they got married, and my father got a job at the shipping docks, which was an hour out of town. In the beginning, he had to catch the company bus from town, which added another thirty minutes to his commute. Twelve-hour shifts were the norm at the plant, giving my dad about four hours a day of free time, not including the weekends. Although he grabbed as much overtime as he could, and that impacted his weekends as well.

It sounded like a recipe for a doomed marriage. Too young, too poor, too much time apart... but my folks defied the odds. They say when you find your soulmate, all the tough stuff becomes easy. Well, easier may be the right way to say that. I grew up totally oblivious to the challenges they faced and could remember nothing but love and great times. Sure, I wish I had my dad around more, but when he was home, he was present. We did everything together as a family. Cooking, eating, yardwork, camping, fishing, and even shopping.

I grew up watching my parents, who always held hands and hugged, showing random kisses of affection. My mom's eyes would light up as soon as my dad walked in the door from work and no matter what kind of shit day he had, he always embraced my mother. I soon learned the longer the hug, the tougher the day. In hindsight, I now realize how lucky I was. Being Jacob Hutchinson, the only child of Elizabeth and Harry, was pretty special.

I say was, because life doesn't always follow our plans. Three days after my 16

th

birthday, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was gone before I made it to 17. As hard as it was to lose my mother, the harder part was watching my father try to carry on. He always presented a strong front when I was around, but more times than I care to remember, I could hear him sobbing in privacy.

He could've turned to alcohol to deal with his grief, but instead, he buried himself in his job and his son. We became closer than ever. Truth is, my dad was my best friend. I loved hanging out with him, doing whatever he wanted to do. That was easy, considering we enjoyed all the same things. My buddies all loved my father and treated him like one of the guys. He was always the voice of encouragement to have fun and to challenge ourselves, but he was also the voice of reason. He had a way of parenting all of us without ever feeling like he was trying to. Make a mistake... he'd pick you up and guide you past what went wrong. I remember when Billy and I accidentally set fire to the woodshed. Choosing to have a bonfire on a windy day during the driest summer on record was not my best day. Billy and I worked diligently to minimize the damage and prevent it from spreading too much. While we were fortunate enough to stop it from spreading to the fields or, worse, a neighbor's property, we couldn't save the woodshed and its 6-month supply of firewood.

"Jesus Jacob. Your dad is going to kill us!" I understood where Billy was coming from. I knew my dad was slow to anger, but we did just burn up months and months of hard work, not to mention the structure.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Why don't you go home, Billy? I'll deal with my dad."

"Bullshit! You're not taking all the heat by yourself! It was as much my fault as yours. If there's hell to pay, I'm right there with ya."

That was Billy. My best friend and like a second son to my dad. He was made from the salt of the earth. Turns out we didn't have to wait too long. Since my dad moved into management at the docks, he'd been working shorter shifts and even coming home early some days. Before he could take his jacket off, I explained I had to show him something in the back. I watched his face as we got closer to the obvious damage. Billy and I explained what happened, making sure to own our stupidity along the way.

"Well..." My father began with a soft voice. "I'm impressed that you were able to contain it. You saved a lot of people some grief." He surveyed the structure, assessing the damage. "You guys, okay?" He asked as he pulled on one of the wall structures.

"Yeah. Nothing happened to us." I responded.

He gave one last glance at the burnt wood, turned around, and stopped right in front of us. "I'm guessing I don't have to lecture you on what went wrong." He gave us a small smile. "You guys free this Saturday?" We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. "Alright then. Can you two finish knocking the rest down and make a burning pile for the fall?"

"Yeah, for sure Mr. H." Billy jumped in.

"You still know how to use a saw and axe, Billy?" My buddy grinned and nodded. "What's say we head up to the cabin Saturday, cut us a bunch of wood, load up the trailer, and we'll stay the night. If we get the trailer nice and full, we can go for some Walleye in the morning. What do you think?"

Needless to say, we were on board and smiling. What 17-year-old boy doesn't like to swing an axe and work a chainsaw? Fishing was the icing on the cake. Billy said his goodbyes as my dad, and I walked back to the house with his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Dad. We should've been smarter."

"It's just wood buddy. I'm glad you two are okay. I'm proud of the way you guys handled the aftermath."

In a nutshell, that was my father.

I met Faith in the 10

th

grade. Actually, we met years ago, it's a rather small town with its small schools and social circles, but we began dating after Christmas that year. She had met my parents indirectly many times, but she was formally introduced to my mom shortly after her diagnosis. My mother was instantly taken with her sweet nature, and more than once told me to hang on to this one.

As things deteriorated with my mom, I leaned heavily on Faith. It really wasn't fair of me to do so in such a new relationship, but if she felt awkward or stuck, she never once gave a hint. She was given the crash course of my parent's marriage as she watched my father dote over and love my mom. Their impact on her was evident and emotional.

"Do you think we'd be like that Jacob? I know we just started dating, but watching them makes me long for that kind of love."

"I know what you mean. I can't lie... I think they'll forever be my measuring stick for what a marriage should look like." I gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "So, if you and I stay together, you can bet I want the same thing."

Fast forward 10 years and that's exactly what happened. Faith and I had gotten married when we were 20 and 21 (respectively). I felt like we lived much like my parents. I loved coming home to her. We did everything together, but we also encouraged healthy friendships and hobbies. Unlike my folks, we waited until after high school to have children. We now have two girls, a year and a half apart, who are a spitting image of their beautiful mother. As good as things were for us, I still carried the pain my father could never seem to release.

April (7.5 years) and Kendra (6 years), our daughters, were the few bright lights in his world. Sure, we still hung out and did lots of things together, but his fire never seemed to come back. It was like he was going through the motions, a ghost of himself. At 46 he still had so much life ahead of him, but without my mother by his side, he seemed to just coast. He was now the operational manager at the docks and traveled a little for his position. He made amazing money, but unless he was spending it on his granddaughters, he would stuff it away. No trips... no toys... no hobbies... no fun.

Faith and I had encouraged him time and time again to spend some money and time for himself. Tour Europe or visit the wineries in Italy... something. Although he always nodded his head, we knew it fell on deaf ears.

"Jacob, I'm really worried about your dad. He rarely smiles unless the girls are with him, and the look in his eyes. It's like he's haunted by something. They seem so dark."

"I know. I see it too. I knew Mom's passing would be hard on him, but I figured he'd be back in the saddle by now, at least dating. I thought having grandkids would snap him out of his funk too."

So concerned we were, that we almost didn't take our winter trip. The thought of leaving my dad alone for 14 days was concerning. I never thought he would do something stupid, like kill himself. I was just worried that he would travel deeper into despair. God, I wish my mom could talk to him somehow.

On the advice of my wife and the insistence of my father, I limited my check-in calls to every other day. By and large, he sounded okay... normal... for him anyway. However, on the fourth last day of our trip, my call to my father was full of surprises. First and foremost, he sounded... happy. He even chuckled a few times. He hasn't chuckled in ages unless it involved his golden granddaughters. When I inquired about his new state, he grumbled, telling me nothing was different.

"I'm telling you, honey, it was like a switch went off or something."

"Was he really that different?" My wife asked me.

"Yes."

**

We were both encouraged and nervous about what we would find when we got home. The girls ran to him once we passed the security gates at the airport. He was hugging both when we caught up. He stood and gave Faith a bone-crushing hug, making her squeak. I got a bear hug complete with smacks on my back.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my father?" I joked as we stepped back from our embrace.

"What? Can't a man be excited to see his family?" He flashed a smile of old and scooped up both our girls and carried them towards the exit.

"What's gotten into him?" I looked at Faith. Her mouth was still open; her shock was as evident as mine in my dad's burst of energy and happiness.

We trailed behind with our luggage, and when we got outside, we could see my dad standing beside his car with the girls talking animatedly to a woman. It finally hit me... he met someone. As we got closer, the woman who didn't look that much older than us, looked up and smiled. Faith gave me a not-so-subtle jab in my ribs.

After A quick wince, I opened my mouth. "Hi. I'm Jacob, and this is my wife, Faith. I can see you met the rug rats."

"Dad!" Both girls admonished me at the same time.

"Hi. I'm Cindy. I'm a friend of your father's." She took a side glance at my father, and they smiled at each other.

She was already pretty, but her smile was amazing. Better yet, was the smile on my father's face. The ride home was filled with idle chit-chat. The girls were full of questions, and Cindy was gracious and as forthcoming as you can be with children. When we arrived home, I invited them in for a quick visit, but they politely declined. They had plans for the afternoon, but we planned for dinner tomorrow night.

Before I could even get the suitcases on top of our bed, Faith was into me about the new development.

"What did you think of her? She's young, huh? Your dad looked happy. I hope she's not a gold digger."

I chuckled at Faith's barrage of comments. "Maybe we should wait to see what the relationship is about before we get too excited, honey."

"She's pretty, though, right? And did you see her boobs? They stood straight out, and she wasn't even wearing a bra!"

"Really? I never noticed." Faith gave me the tilted head 'give me a break' look. I scooped her up into a hug. "Hard to notice things like that when my dream girl is already my wife." She slapped my shoulder and laughed as she walked out of the room.

Over the next six months, Cindy had become a permanent fixture in my father's life, and by the looks of things, she was good at making him happy. He had the spunk and fire again. I just wish I didn't have the sinking feeling that she was TOO good. Every time I tried to discuss my feelings with Faith, she couldn't validate them. To her, Cindy was just what my dad needed. She thought it may just be hard for me to move past the relationship he had with my mom. I couldn't discount her suggestion, but... I wasn't totally sold on it.

One evening after dinner, with the girls in bed, my father and I sat on the deck while Faith and Cindy did the last of the evening's cleanup in the kitchen. My dad was sipping a coffee, and his look seemed far removed from our location.

"Penny for your thoughts, Dad." I queried.

He came back to the present and gave me a guilty smile. "Was just thinking of your mom." His smile faded.

"Please tell me you're not feeling guilty for dating Cindy, Dad. Mom all but told you to move on and find love. She'd be tickled to see you happy again." He smiled and looked down at his mug. "Everything okay, Dad? You and Cindy are..."

He cut me off. "Things are fine." He looked like he was trying to choose the right words. "They're just different. I know what I had with your mother was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, Jacob. Relationships seem so... complicated these days."

I had to chuckle, mostly because he wasn't wrong. "Starting over again must be scary, Dad, but it's nice to see you smile again." He looked at me and then back to his coffee. It wasn't the response I was expecting. "Dad? Everything okay between you and Cindy?" He took a swig of his coffee and looked like he was about to say something when the women appeared outside.

"And what are you two handsome men talking about?" Cindy was making her presence known. She had a big personality and at first, I thought it was good for my dad, you know, to help him out of his shell. But lately, it feels more grating.

Faith followed right behind, and her face was full of her beautiful smile. "Just talking about some old memories." I politely replied.

Cindy's face twisted ever so slightly. "You know, Jacob. Your father is trying to move on with his life. Rehashing old memories of what was doesn't help."

The hair on the back of my neck went up. I wanted to rip a strip off of her, but I suppressed my initial reaction. "Well Cindy, my childhood is part of his past and so was our time together. What normal father and son don't reflect over old memories?" I gave her a look, almost challenging her to say something snarky. I could see her bite her tongue and put on her smile once again.

"Yes, you two have quite the history. Harry loves to talk about those days." Now I could see how fake her smile was. "But now it's time to live in the present, right Harry Bear?"

*Harry Bear? I thought I was going to puke*

"Sweetie, maybe we should be heading back." She snuggled up beside my dad. "I'd like to spend some special time with your little soldier." She kissed his cheek, and my dad went red.

After a few more minutes of the awkward conversation, Cindy and my dad were pulling out of our driveway and heading back to his house. I wasn't keen that she moved in, but Faith tried to convince me it was a good thing. I gathered the last of the outdoor dishes and headed inside. Faith was putting something in the fridge when I came in. "What the fuck was that all about?" I grunted.

"Jacob! You don't need to swear." My wife admonished me.

I put the cups in the sink and turned towards her. "You're right, sorry." I kissed her nose.

"What was what all about?" she asked as she continued to tidy up.

"The whole, live in the present thing. So, my dad can't think about his past or my mom?" Faith turned around and stood right in front of me.

"Honey... she has a point. Remember how worried we were when he couldn't let go of the past? This is a real opportunity for him to live again, sweetie."

What she said made sense. I guess my judgment was clouded by my gut feelings about Cindy. "I don't trust her." I blurted it out to my wife. Faith looked shocked.

"Honey. I get she's not your mom. No one can replace her. She's new, different, and younger. I mean, she's not too young for your dad, he's still young despite being a grandfather." She put her hand on my chest. "Are you sure you're not just being overly protective of your dad?"

I looked back and forth between her deep blue eyes. "You think I'm overreacting?" She nodded her head. "Little soldier?" I asked. "Who calls a man's dick, little soldier? That's offensive and rude." Faith burst into giggles at my opinion.

"It's just a cute nickname, honey. I don't think she was being derogatory." She could see I wasn't sold. "It sounds like they're pretty active, you know, between the sheets." She smiled when my face grimaced.

"What. Now you're talking with her about sex with my dad?"

"Jacob, she's not your mom. She's his girlfriend, and we're not that far apart in age, so we have a comfort thing. I'm just saying that you should be happy that your dad is... getting some." She emphasized the last two words and laughed at my reaction.

I pretended to be offended and chased her into the living room, scooping her up and jumping on the couch with her in my lap. Her squeals got me excited and before I knew it, we were almost naked on the couch. We hadn't done anything like this since we had the girls.

"Mom? I can't sleep." Came my daughter's sweet voice from the top of the stairs. A reminder of WHY we haven't had sex in the living room since the girls.

Faith giggled quietly and tried to put her top back together. "Okay, sweetheart. Go into your bed and mommy will be up in a minute." She pushed me away. "Your sexy ways are going to get us in trouble, mister." Her smile was smoldering and sexy.

"Stop being so dam beautiful then." I rebutted and got a searing kiss on the lips.

"This isn't over Mr. Hutchinson."

"I hope not, Mrs. Hutchinson." I gave her pert bottom a love tap. Faith grabbed my hand and smiled down at me.

"Trust me, honey. I think you're being overly protective of your father. I don't sense any wickedness from Cindy. If I do, I'll be the first to tell you. He's kind of my dad too, you know."

I watched her walk away and smiled at my good fortune. Faith was an incredible woman and the best wife a man could ask for. The extra sway in her hips wasn't lost on me either... I smiled at what was to come later.

Life continued and much of it involved the relationship between my dad and Cindy. She and Faith had seemed to develop a pretty good friendship and the two joked that if she married my dad, Faith would have to call her mom. Personally, the thought made me nauseous, but I kept it to myself. As for my dad, he kept plucking away with his day-to-day stuff and work. While he saw the kids more, he and I had barely done a thing together, you know... just the two of us. I was always reaching out to encourage a fishing trip or a night at the races, but it would seem that Cindy always had something planned for them that night or that weekend. As I reflected over the last few months, I didn't need all the fingers on my one hand to count the number of times he and I had been alone for more than 10 minutes. I guess you could say, I was getting frustrated at losing my dad and honestly... my best friend.