When Contact is Undesirable

Abstract

Noah’s dad was going on home leave from the prison so he could be there for Noah’s 12th birthday.

Well, we assumed that he would be there about eleven o’clock, but when he didn’t show, we assumed he would be there around two o’clock and when he didn’t show around two o’clock, we just assumed he would be there around five o’clock. We just waited. It was not very nice. My mother had bought a lot of food, because he is a real glutton. And so he let me and [my sister] Ann down. Just because he was out drinking … we kept thinking that he would show up …. If he had to drink, it should just not have been on my day …. But at some point you just need to forgive. You cannot continue to be mad at him for a year. Because he is still my father.¹