Dad was waiting for me in the luggage claim area when I got off the plane. It was noon—just nine hours after my phone call to Cheri. I spotted him leaning against a wall, his eyes searching the crowd. His thick hair had gone completely white, but his sharp blue eyes hadn’t lost their brightness. I crossed to where he was standing and stopped in front of him—the man who’d driven me crazy my entire life.
“How did you know what time I’d arrive?” I asked.
“I got here early and watched a few flights come in. You had to be on one before long.”
“Well, thanks for coming.”
“I could say the same.”
I picked up my bags and we started for the parking garage. Dad pointed to a shiny red Ford truck. “My new baby,” he said. His eyes sparkled. Some men loved women. My dad loved trucks.
He glanced over at me as we walked. “So what’s so great in Kermit, Texas?” he asked.
“It’s just a place. I liked the name.”
He frowned. “You’re what, thirty-two now, Anna? You’re getting too old for this drifting around, slacking-off nonsense.”
Welcome home.
“I’ll have you know I’m gifted at serving beer. Plus I get to spend quality time in towns like Kermit, Texas.”
“You know what I think about that.”
“It would be hard not to,” I replied.
We got into the truck and Dad drove out of the lot onto the parkway. The sun was beating down on the windshield. No clouds could be seen in the clear blue sky. We were halfway to the city when Dad said, “Your sister isn’t herself these days.”
And that’s a bad thing? “What’s going on?”
“She’s always been high strung. Lately, she’s gotten nutty. She thinks somebody’s out to get her.”
“What about her accident?”
He shrugged. “Accidents happen. Brakes fail all the time.”
“Jimmy must be worried.”
Dad shot me a sideways look. “He appears to be.”
“Aren’t we going to their house in Manotick?”
“Your sister refuses to leave the hospital with anyone but you. I’m going home. You can take the truck to get her.”
“This truck?” I looked at him to see if he was joking. Dad never used to let anyone drive his truck—and this one was brand new.
“I got another one just like it at home.”
I sat quietly for a minute. Dad turned onto his street in the south end and I saw our family home halfway down. I’d been away for five years.
“It’s good to see you, Dad.” I said.
Dad nodded once and turned his face away. But not before I saw a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.