The song "Cat's in the Cradle" affects me more than most fathers. You know the one; Harry Chapin's hit with the chorus "When you comin' home, Dad?" "I don't know when, but we'll get together then, son. You know we'll have a good time then." As you might have guessed, I've not been the best father to my son, Dave. In fact, I was pretty much the Dad in the song - always missing important milestones in his life. Every time I missed something, I'd promise to make it up to him. I was always so damn busy at work... Or at least, that's what I told myself.
Anyway, Dave left town, got a successful job in the city, and we drifted apart. He'd keep in touch with my wife, but when I spoke to him on the phone, it was like "Cat's in the Cradle" all over again - "The job's a hassle and the kids have the flu." And that's the way it was for almost 8 years after he moved away. Sure, I had my regrets about the way it turned out between us, but I could see the positives - he was doing a better job juggling family and work than I had done; he wasn't neglecting his kids like I neglected him.
And it could have stayed that way forever, but one day Dave called and let me know that the next week, he was going to be in town overnight on business, but he'd be free to catch up with me for drinks. I was thrilled. I asked if he'd want me to bring his mother along, but he politely declined, saying something about how he just wanted to catch up one-on-one. I asked him why, and after a few seconds of thoughtful silence, he replied.
"Uh, I guess I kind of feel guilty about the last couple of years, so I wanted to try and patch things up between us; make it less awkward, I suppose."
The boy (ha, listen to me, "boy". He was 31!) had me there. At first, I couldn't respond because I was so touched. I quickly found my words, though. "You're not the only one who feels guilty, Dave... Sounds like a great idea."
"Great, see you Wednesday night. 7:30 at the Royal?"
"Ha, my favourite. See ya then."
Those days before Wednesday both dragged and flew. I know it's embarrassing how nervous I was just to see my son again, but I just knew that one wrong move and I'd be back to square one, or worse. When the time finally arrived, I had my wife pick out my shirt which I hadn't done since we first got engaged. Naturally, she chose something appropriate for the Royal and the occasion: Blue jeans and a polo shirt. Simple, casual, relaxed. I only hoped that I could match the outfit's statement. I kissed her goodbye, promised not to drink too much (with mock irritation in my voice), and drove over to the Royal Hotel. Despite my nerves and the traffic, I was there right on 7:30. I headed inside, grabbed a booth not far from the bar and waited for Dave.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long; he walked in less than a minute after I sat down. He certainly looked successful: He wore a nice (tailored!) black suit, no tie, his blue shirt with two buttons undone, and a surprisingly thick, stylish beard. His brown hair was still combed, but showed signs of fatigue after what must have been a boring conference. While I can't help but say I was proud of him, I'm glad that wasn't the first thing I said. I stood up, stretched out my hand for a shake, and said "Dave, you look great! Uh, that is, it's great to see you, son."
He chuckled as my face turned a very un-manly shade of red and shook my hand - a firm, brisk shake that yelled "Businessman". He said it was great to see me too and motioned for me to sit back down.
For a while, nothing of consequence was really discussed - "How's your wife?", "How's the job?", the football, that sort of thing. Surprisingly, though, the conversation flowed a lot better than it had in over 10 years. Whether that was the beer or not, I can't say for sure. After Dave shouted me the second round, I finally decided to bring up the elephant.
"Son, I haven't forgotten why you wanted to meet, and before you say anything, I just wanted to apologise sincerely for being such a shitty father. I wish I could keep blaming work, but... even at the time, that wasn't a reasonable excuse. You see-"
"No, Dad, it's fine, honestly. Hell, if you didn't work so hard, I probably would've ended up lazy and stupid, but I think it was partly your work ethic that gave me my drive."
"Yeah, but you also put in time for your kids, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, I guess I've tried not to follow your lead there..." That was probably the nicest way he could've put it.
"About that, Dave..."
"Yeah?"
"I've tried to say that I blame my absence on work, how I was pressured to work all those hours, and that they didn't really give me time off even if I asked for it..."
"Uh-huh..." Dave was bracing himself for a bombshell, but I don't think he ever expected me to say what I did.
"Well, I chose to spend all that time alone. Now, this is the part where most Dads would say how they cheated on their wife or something like that, but not me. I love your Mum, and I will forever. No, I've given it a lot of thought over the past few years, and I think I'm finally ready to explain why I was always so distant with you."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't on the edge of my seat here, Dad."
"Dave, I, uh... I think I might be in love with you."
His face was impossible to read. It was devoid of all emotion, completely neutral. "What." Not even inflection for the question mark.
"Don't ask me to explain it, because I can't. I honestly can't. All I know is that I'm in love with you, and I'm finally ready to admit that to you, and to myself. I kept myself away from you so much because I didn't know how to deal with these feelings, but now that we're both grown men, I just want to keep telling you: I love you, son. I'm in love with you, Dave."
Now my words were starting to sink in. Dave was now redder than I'd ever seen him; the redness was creeping down his neck and I could see it spreading on his exposed chest. "How many of those did you have before I got here..?"
"None. I've only had the one before this one. I'd be telling you this even if I hadn't had a drink in 30 years. I'm attracted to you, I want you, I need you, I love you."