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Danny keeps knocking so now my dad’s stuck. He hates repetitive noises like that or telephone ringers and my dad’s a real mans man, so no way is he going to hide inside his own home from anyone.
“Aw shit,” he says as he stands up and my mom and I can barely contain ourselves.
“You two planned this?” my mom whispers.
I nod furiously as I raise my eyebrows with excitement.
The second my dad has the door open his hands release it as he catches the basketball Danny passes to him. They’re standing face to face for the first time since the Irish restaurant. I know because Danny told me they haven’t been communicating at work, and as the captain at the station he scheduled different shifts for a few days to let the shock of my dad finding out wear down a bit.
“Marilyn!” my dad yells, dropping the ball.
“I’m not here to see Marilyn,” Danny says. “I’m here to see you.”
“I’m busy reading a book.”
“You don’t read books, Mike. Don’t try and feed me that crock of crap.”
“New hobby…now that I don’t…,” my dad just stops mid-sentence.
“Well it’s time to do all the things you don’t do anymore.”
“Not interested. Marilyn!”
I don’t budge.
“You beat me and I won’t bother you anymore.”
My dad just stands there. He looks down at the ball and then back at Danny. “You’re on.”
My mom and I run to the window, which I opened a few minutes ago, and watch Danny and my dad start.
At first Danny’s not really guarding my dad and he’s scoring pretty easily. Danny needs to win this game! What is he doing?
And once it’s five to one, and my dad starts to talk smack, everything changes.
Next thing I know Danny’s taking him to school out there on the court in our driveway. My dad is gassed from not playing for a week. He’s tugging on his shorts, and even tugging on Danny’s, trying to slow him down.
Before long it’s ten to seven with Danny winning and my dad hunched over with his hands on his hips.
“Run it back?” Danny asks.
“Best out of three,” my dad says.
Danny makes quick work out of my dad in the second game and then goes for the defining moment. “This is what happens when you don’t play for over a week. We need to get back at it.”
My dad shakes his head. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“No you don’t. This was never about you being with Marilyn or the big age difference. I’m not angry about that. I’m angry that you didn’t think you could trust me enough to tell me about it.”
“I was thinking of a way to do just that. Plus it was just starting. Everything was so new and I’ve never had experience being with a woman that I truly love. The moment I told you was the first time I said it.”
My mom’s hands come up and clutch her chest.
“I believed you. Marilyn’s a good girl and you’re a good man. We raised her right to find a man like you, if she decides to go looking for a man. You never know these days with this younger generation. Marilyn is such a go-getter it seems like she can do everything herself, and I think she enjoys the thought of that.”
“That’s one of the many things about her that I’m so attracted to. I love that she’s full of piss and vinegar and ready to take over the world. I want to be right there behind her, cheering her on and helping her in any way I can.”
My dad pauses. “I just wish you had told me sooner.”
“You knew the same moment she did, buddy.”
My dad just stands there looking at Danny, processing his words.
“What are your plans with my daughter,” my dad asks. Quickly he follows it up with, “I can’t believe I’m asking you this question.”
“Remember how I told you you were the first to know that I loved her? I mean you and her both found out at the same moment.”
“Yes.”
“Well, in regards to your question about my plans for your daughter. How ‘bout I tell you both right now?”
A look of confusion washes over my dad’s face and for the first time Danny’s eyes look up to the window, catching me watching even though I know he knew we were here the whole time.
“My name may not be Romeo, and yours may not be Juliet, but when I look up and see you in that window all I can think about is how much I love you. How obsessed I am with you.”
I feel my hands shaking and a tear starts to form in my eye.
“But just like Romeo and Juliet we had some problems with our respective families, so to speak. But the best part is our tale isn’t going to end like theirs. No way I’d allow that. Everything’s cleared up now and we can be together, just the way we were meant to be…forever.”
