SURGERY
A short story by Mick Macve
Part 5
"Dad, are you O.K.?"
"Can’t breathe very well son."
"You are going to be all right, though?"
"Yes! Don’t worry. In a week or two, I’ll be up and about. More active than you’ll ever be."
"When I got the message I was worried."
"They tried to phone you last night, but there was no answer."
"I was out."
"Really? I worked that one out myself! Have a good time?"
"Yes! Great!"
First lie today.
"Where were you? The Rose And Crown?"
‘No. I was out with Zoe Johnson - the girl you think is trouble - the girl whose father you think is no good.’
Steven thought afterwards about whether it would have been better if he had said that. How would his Dad have reacted? Would it have made things worse? At the time, he wanted to do everything he could to help his father get better. He didn’t want to upset him. So he didn’t say who he was with. He lied.
"Yes! All your mates were asking after you."
"Ah they’re a good bunch. I’m lucky to have a good set of mates like that. But you know what makes me even luckier? To have a son like you. You know a lot of parents get a load of trouble from their children. Old Graham Harris was telling me about his son - he steals, he cheats, he lies. Can you imagine that? He lies to his own parents! I’m lucky to have a sone like you, Steve. Since your Mum died, you’ve never given me an ounce of trouble. You’ve always told the truth and you’ve been more of a mate to me than all that lot in the Rose And Crown. Thanks Steve."
There was a silence, which Steven could have used to tell the truth about Zoe Johnson. Afterwards, he asked himself if it was really that important. Just a small white lie about a silly girl. It wasn’t Zoe that bothered him. What bothered Steven was that he had betrayed his father’s trust. His father thought he was someone special, but in truth he wasn’t. He lied to suit his own ends. A small lie, but in the end, his own self-interest was more important to him than his relationship with his father. If he had only known that this was the last time he would ever see his father alive, he would have said more than "I’ll be seeing you, then, Dad." He would have said that he loved him. He would have hugged him or done something meaningful. Instead he said "I’ll be seeing you, then, Dad."
That afternoon, Mr. Williams died.
Surgery part 6
Home page
created by Mick Macve, mmacve@mistral.co.uk
last modified: December 4, 1998
URL: http://www3.mistral.co.uk/mmacve/surg5.html