Like Father... Like Son Read online

  ‘And the young lady, is she your sister?’, David ploughed on, trying to ignore the strange stares they were both giving him now.

  ‘Yeah, what made to say that, how did you know she would be my sister and not my missus?’ John’s tone was puzzled and had a hard edge to it.

  Suddenly, John’s face lit up, but not in a friendly way. The look was harder than ever and there was a very nasty glint in his eyes that made David even more afraid.

  John elbowed his sister. “You know who this is?” he smirked.

  ‘No.’ the girl looked at the old man and then at her brother.

  ‘It’s Pop I reckon, Dad’s father.’

  ‘You’re joking, right?’ the girl replied, ‘He’s been here all the time?’

  ‘It looks like it, Dad won’t be pleased at all. He was hoping that he was dead. He didn’t want him around to cause any trouble.’

  The look of hatred on John’s face made fear grip David all over. His son had not only taken the business from him but had eventually left him homeless. It now appeared that David’s prayers for his son had not yet been answered.

  ‘Well ....., we might have to see what we can do about this. I need to get back into dad’s good books after putting that dint in the car last week.’ John snarled at David.

  ‘What are you going to do, you can’t kill him, John?’ the girl gripped his arm, fear showed in her voice as well. David felt a small seed of relief grow, there was some of Beth in there after all.

  ‘Oh, Liz, stop it, I won’t kill him, but I’m going to make sure that he is put away for good so he cannot create any bother.’

  What happened after that was like watching a play in slow motion but happened so quickly that David’s head was left spinning.

  John looked around as if to check that no one was watching and then turned to Liz, come on sis, I want you to bash me up. Punch me, just like we used to do as kids. Pull my hair, come on kick me. This has got to look real. Liz looked at her brother, a look of anticipation came over her face, she was going to enjoy this, even in his confusion, David could see that.

  ‘What are you doing, stop this.’ David pleaded?

  ‘Shut up old man!’ John spat at him.

  David watched in horror as John and Liz started to kick and scratch each other. Suddenly John produced a knife from somewhere and came towards David. David pulled back but John grabbed his hand and wrapped it around the handle. Shoving David back against the wall John took the knife and stabbed himself. David gasped. The wound wasn’t deep and wouldn’t be life threatening but what was going on, David had no idea. Then John stepped back a few places, he made eye contact with David, with a brief grin on his face, John dropped the knife in front of him and fell dramatically to the ground, screaming for help as his did so.

  In the confusion that followed as staff from a nearby shop rushed out to see what was going on, David registered that Liz had disappeared. She must have run off once John had produced the knife, it would have been her cue to leave.

  John was pointing to David, ‘He attacked me’ his voice was suitably soft to appear weak.

  The police arrived and David was bundled into the van. David glanced back at John who was now sitting up with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. They arrived at the nearest station a few minutes later.

  He was put in a cell before he really knew what was happening. David looked at the name on the officer’s badge as he was escorted to the cell. There was something familiar about this man and the name, but he couldn’t think why that would be. As he sat down on the bench-come-bed, he thought, how did this happen? Well at least I’ll be safe tonight.

  He lay down and let his memories drift into focus.

  David looked down at his baby son. The pride and love that surged through him felt almost painful. All he had ever wanted was to be a father, a good father, at that. It was a desire that he’d nurtured since he was about ten years old.

  Some people might say that at ten, a person was too young to know what they wanted to do but he had, and it had remained number one over everything else on his priority list.

  The baby’s chubby red face, his ten fingers, his long eyelashes and small body all wrapped up in his blanket just melted his heart. He gently lifted him from the arms of his wife and sat in the chair over next to the window of the hospital room. He stared at him for such a long time, or so it seemed. What those around him didn’t know was that deep in his heart David was making the biggest commitment of his life. He wasn’t saying anything out loud, but he prayed, ‘Lord, help me to raise this child, to give him the very best tools to make the most of his life so that he will honour you and so will I’. He didn’t only pray this once but over, and over again as if by repeating it, it would be imprinted on his heart permanently.

  His son opened his eyes, they were blue, he squirmed a little and started to cry. David looked at his wife, she had drifted off to sleep and stirred at the sound. She smiled at them both, ‘He’s probably getting hungry, you’d better give him here so I can feed him’, her voice sounded tired but filled with love.

  ‘Alright, I’d better get back to work then, the business won’t look after itself all of the time, I’ll call back later tonight before I go home,’ he said, a wistful note in his voice. Part of him wanted to stay and watch them for hours, drinking in the beauty of them both. The other part was keen to get started on the challenge that he had just set himself while he was holding his son.

  It wasn’t that he hadn’t worked hard up until now, he had, and it was always to make sure that his child would have a great start in life and a business that would give him a wonderful lifestyle as an adult.

  He drove back to the office. He parked the car in his specially marked parking bay. He got out, locked the car, and headed to the office. He felt like he was walking on air.

  He rode the elevator with a smile from ear to ear. As he approached his secretary, Mavis’, desk she looked up, ‘Well, what did you have?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s a boy!’ he smiled, ‘A beautiful baby boy.’

  ‘Congratulations,’ she responded, as she returned to her work.

  David walked into his office, sat down at his desk but all he could do was spin his chair around and around. He just could not focus.

  He thought back to the day he had decided that he wanted to be a father. His father was so busy at work that they didn’t spend very much time together as a family. His childhood had been a lonely one.

  During his tenth year his family had gone to visit his mother’s sister, Jane and her husband, Ben. Their baby son had been born a few months earlier. Visiting family, or anyone for that matter, was a rare event, so rare in fact that it was one of those things that was indelibly imprinted in David’s memory.

  When they arrived, there was a lot of fuss made of the baby, but it wasn’t long before he had been put down in the bassinet and the men had gone outside. Mum had gone into the kitchen to help Aunty Jane.

  David had been left to his own devices. He had wandered around the room wondering what to do with himself. The bassinet was set up near the window. He went over to look at the baby. Patrick was lying there and looked at David as he peered over the edge. He had smiled, David had reached in to pat him, and the baby had grabbed his finger. Patrick started making cute sounds and David understood that he was trying to talk to him even if he didn’t understand anything that he was saying. His Aunty returned to the room.

  ‘Hey there, you’re talking to Patrick, he likes you,’ His Aunt’s voice was filled with joy, love, and warmth. She had placed her arm around his shoulder and given him a hug. He had watched Jane and Ben while they had been showing off their baby. Their happy smiles, the happiness that surrounded them and filled the house, was something that David didn’t have at home, and he wanted it so bad.

  One day, he vowed quietly to himself, he was going to be a father and he would have a nice loving family just like this one. Now his dream had come true. He had a wife who loved him, more than
that she made sure that his life at home was ordered and she had a happy smile most of the time.

  There had been some days when it had faded quite a bit while she was suffering from morning sickness, but Beth’s smile had returned, he had seen it when she woke up in the hospital room. His wife had already agreed to name their son, Ben, after his uncle; if it had been a girl, her name would have been Jane but in his hearts of hearts he really wanted a boy, now his son was here. Life was so good.

  David looked at the clock. It was five O’clock already. He hadn’t done anything since he had arrived back at the office earlier this afternoon. His secretary had been right, he should have taken the whole day off instead of just the morning. Oh well, he thought he might as well get some tea at the café down the street and then go back to see Beth and the baby. Tomorrow was another day but after a night’s sleep he would be in a better mood to pull himself into gear and get on with his work.

  4

  While some people would describe David’s life growing up as difficult, others might consider isolated a better description.

  His father had worked long hours. As he grew older, David was to discover that, while he worked hard during the day, many of his hours after work were spent at the pub or club either at the bar or in front of the poker machine. Weekend hours were often spent at the racetrack, betting on horses or greyhounds. However, as a child he believed what his father told him and therefore he was convinced that it was work that occupied so much of his father’s time.

  It wasn’t that he was a mean father, he just wasn’t there. They didn’t starve, he wasn’t careless with his money, it was more a matter of socialising that kept him frequenting these venues. He convinced himself that he was building business connections. More astute folks knew that he just had a need to be seen as being more successful than was an actual reality. His mother had to do everything, maintaining the house, gardening, cleaning, cooking, and washing was her domain, not because she wanted it that way, but by default due to an absent husband.

  As a child, of course, David had no idea that this was unusual, his mother didn’t tell him that things should or could be different. Maybe she was too busy or just reluctant to discuss adult issues with a mere child. Whatever her reasoning, he grew up in ignorance.

  It also meant that the older he got, the greater the workload became for him in order to help his mother. He learnt how to mow the lawn, fix a tap, take out the rubbish, dig a garden and a list of numerous other things that would help ease his mother’s load resulting in a physical development that was above average for his age group.

  This also meant that the family had a very limited social life. The lack of social involvement did nothing to broaden David’s knowledge of what might be or even what realities existed for those who lived outside the four walls of his home. He also developed an ability to work alone and found that he didn’t need the company of others to be content.

  Even at school, boy talk, what little talk there was, did not centre around the workings of home-life, but was more inclined to be about the adventures to be had, tracking animals or the marvels of machines that would one day create a world where leisure would be the predominate activity of all mankind, replacing the hard day to day slog of back-breaking work that currently existed.

  He wasn’t a particularly bright boy, but what he lacked in natural ability he made up for with determination. He had to work hard, and he gave it his all to make progress, finding that mathematics was the subject that engaged him the most. Reading, while requiring a moderate effort, was generally restricted to business and economic materials, all in preparation for his working life once his school days were behind him.

  He was bright enough, even at an early age, to realise that in order to make a greater success of his life he would have to concentrate his efforts along a limited pathway. A narrow channel moved water much faster than a wide one.

  ****

  David’s teacher insisted that Elizabeth Jones sit next to him in class, she was a quiet, unassuming child, and even at that young age, pretty to look at, not that David would admit it to anyone, not even to himself. Somehow, the teacher knew that her exceptional skills in writing would add a broader base to David’s skill set and that he could help her to improve her number skills, the subject that he knew she struggled with. Looking back, David saw that the teacher had done this deliberately, he largely left them to get on with their work, making sure that they had plenty to do. Many of the other children needed to be constantly reminded to stay focused, something that Elizabeth and David didn’t. With all the jobs that he needed to help his mother with once he got home, David made sure that his schoolwork was up to date before the bell rang each day to indicate that time was up. He would often return to the classroom after he had finished his lunch in order to finish some uncompleted project. This friendship was to last all the way through school and into their college years. David couldn’t really remember when he fell in love with Elizabeth, looking back it was probably something that grew slowly over time, starting with that first day when the teacher had told her to move her books and sit beside him. During the last couple of months, leading up to their last day at college, David started to think about what life would be like without seeing Elizabeth every day. He knew that it was something that he didn’t like or want. He had been working during the weekends and any days that didn’t require him to be on campus, so he was fortunate to have some money saved. One night, while they were walking home, they had passed a jewellery store. There was a new display in the window with some very flashy rings and watches. Elizabeth had stopped, telling David that she would never wear such a large creation, she pointed to one at the back, which had a narrow, modest band and a small diamond set in a simple setting. ‘If I had a choice, I would pick that one over this one in the front,’ she had said wistfully. Was she hinting that she wanted their relationship to go to the next level? David had the feeling that she was, and it boosted his courage. A couple of days later, he entered the store, asked about the ring Elizabeth had pointed out and found that it was well within his means to purchase, which he did. They picnicked the following Sunday, a thing that they often did, giving Elizabeth no hint of the surprise, he was about to spring on her.

  ‘Have you decided yet, what you are going to do when college is finished?’ David had asked, knowing that she had a few offers she had been considering.

  ‘Not, yet. The Brown & Smith offer is the one I’m leaning towards. You?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve decided to take the job I’ve been offered with Mr Standford. I think I can learn a great deal from him.’

  ‘Brown & Smith is just around the corner.’

  ‘Hmm, sounds like we are still going to be able to see each other then.’ David said, watching her carefully and noticing that the light in her eyes started to fade. He had to stop teasing her, or he was going to lose her forever, if he wasn’t careful. ‘Elizabeth, where are you planning on living then?’

  ‘I’ll have to find a flat somewhere, they are expensive down there, but it’s too far to travel from Mum and Dad’s every day.’

  ‘What if we shared a flat?’

  ‘David, what are you saying, you know that we can’t… not as single people, it’s not done.’ David reached into his pocket, bringing out the ring case and opening it, ‘Then, would you please do me the honour of becoming my wife. I want to see you every day, wake up with you beside me in the mornings from here on.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Yes, David I would love to be your wife.’ He lent in and kissed her. They had married quickly. Despite the fact that friends and even family had accused them of it being a shotgun one, Ben hadn’t arrived until five years later. They had both worked hard, soon buying their own house because neither of them could see them being able to raise a family in the small space they were living in. They had always planned to have more than one child, but things didn’t work that way, Ben ended up being an only child.

  No one realises just how much one small pers
on can so completely change your life until it happens. The lack of sleep that happened every night, not just now and again, but every single night took its toll and was something that no-one could tell you about. David could see the exhaustion on Beth’s face at the end of each day when he arrived home. The house wasn’t as spotless as it was before what David called “Benflux”. He made up the word because there had been such an influx of good things and new challenges that David said the word “Benflux” was fitting. Even so, David couldn’t wait to get home after work each day. He would sit and cuddle his son until it was necessary for Beth to give him a feed. He even took turns in changing his nappies, despite the unpleasantness of the task but he wanted to be involved in his son’s life, not just the good bits but the messy stuff as well.

  He relished the smiles that he gave, talked to him constantly and even read stories to him. Life was good and David was making the most of it.

  Around the time that Ben started to walk, he worked even harder at the office. He wanted to make sure that the business would be strong for Ben to take over one day. His father had worked long hours and was too focused on wanting things to suit him. David didn’t want to go down that road. He tried to make sure that he was home no later than eight at night. He lifted his standards and expected his staff to do the same. He didn’t realise that he was starting down a very dangerous road, something that he swore he would never do. He was to discover later that these things happen by degrees, very slowly. While he was a good father at home, he was becoming more demanding at work. Most people have dual personalities, the good and the bad.

  The weekends were taken up with teaching Ben all the things that David felt that he would need to survive in the cutthroat world of business. It never occurred to him that Ben might not want to follow in his father’s footsteps. Ben followed his father everywhere as a child and David assumed that was the way it was always going to be.

  As a pre-schooler, Ben used to love going into the office with David when on the few occasions he needed to catch up on a Saturday morning. He would walk around David’s office, running his hands over the furniture, looking as if he envied his father for being able to work there. As soon as he could talk, he asked question after question. The boy seemed a natural. Once he was at school, he spent most of his school holidays in the office.