“He’s new.”
“He’s new and slow.”
“Alright, Pops. He’s slow. Teach him how to go faster or Olive can hire another guy. You should be flattered that it would take two men to fill your spot.”
“Humph. More like three.”
“You’re prickly when you’ve had a couple beers, you know that?”
Dad laughs, gripping my shoulder for balance as he uses the other hand to untie his shoe, kicking it towards the cluttered shoe rack.
“Bah, argumentative, maybe.” He winces as he switches sides, stopping to rub his shoulder where it meets his chest, and I feel a little tickle of dread.
“I thought it was your elbow that was bugging you,” I say, reaching out to steady him as he wobbles slightly.
“It is. I just babied it too long and now my shoulder is jacked up too. It’s fine.”
“Would you stop being tough for one second?” Taking a deep breath, I pause and try to fight the urge to raise my voice at my dad. If anyone is calm in a crisis, it’s usually me. But the little worry is turning into panic. “You just rubbed your chest. That’s not usually a symptom of an injured elbow. How bad is it really?”
Dad leans back against the wall and, for the first time, I think he actually looks his age. The boyish grin is gone, and he looks tired, worn down, and fragile in a terrifying way. He says nothing, and that’s enough for me to know it must be bad.
“Sit,” I command. I use my Officer Voice, the one that brings grown men to heel. Silently my dad nods, sitting in his favorite worn out armchair, looking crumpled. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I call the only person I can think of.
“This better not be a booty call after what you said to me earlier.” Julia’s voice is sugary sweet, and she sounds tipsy, not a surprise after the way she was partying with Sally.
“It’s Dad. His arm and chest hurt.”
“Is he short of breath?” The syrupy tone is long gone and her voice has all the efficiency of a medical professional. I switch the phone to speaker and repeat the question for my dad, who shakes his head and rolls his eyes at me.
“It’s a pulled muscle. You’re overreacting.”
“Luis, I swear to God,” Julia’s stern voice comes from the speaker and my dad grins at the phone.
“No, I can breathe just fine.”
“Nausea, dizzy, lightheaded, tight jaw?”
“No, no, no, and no. I feel fine. My arm hurts, that’s all.”
“Ok, go to the E.R. so they can run tests. If you think you’re fine to drive, you can skip the ambulance. I’ll meet you there in… twelve minutes.”
“You’re not driving are—?”
“No, I have a ride. Just do what I say and I’ll see you there.”
Dad laughs, shaking his head as Julia hangs up on me. “Give me my shoes so we can get this over with. You two are a pair.”
I hold his shoes out, alternating between worry and annoyance as he slowly, stubbornly puts them on.
Julia is outside the E.R. doors when I pull up, still wearing that damn bridesmaid dress that looks like liquid velvet painted on her curves. Dad gets out, sighing heavily like this is the world’s biggest inconvenience. Julia hooks an arm through his and before he closes the door I hear him mutter, “I can walk just fine.”
“This is for me, Luis. I’m still tipsy and these heels are killing...”
The door slams and I’m alone in the silent car, watching as Julia walks him inside. She turns as they reach the sliding door, giving me a soft smile before nodding towards the parking lot. She’s always been so good to my dad and, apparently, still knows exactly how to manage him. And me.
I park and jog inside, catching up just as a nurse calls my dad back. He grumbles all the way, but follows the nurse. Julia and I fall in step behind him. She looks tired and worry is tightening the edges of her eyes, but she gives me a reassuring smile.
We follow Dad into a small room and, when I hold the door for Julia, my hand instinctively goes to her lower back. I get a flashback of her body pressed to mine as we slow danced, just a couple of hours earlier. The way her smaller hand felt in mine, her warm grasp on my shoulder and her dangerous curves pressed against my chest… I have to steady my breathing so I don’t pant after her like a dog. Julia glances up at me out of the corner of her eye as she passes into the room, back straight, chin held high. Defiance flashes in her bottle green eyes and my heart stutters.