Spring Break

Timeless Spring by Kazuaki Tanahashi

“You’re drunk,” is what Katie said to her father when he showed up at her friend’s house at 1:00 in the morning wanting to see for himself that she really was where she had claimed she was, “you’re an alcoholic, and you’re always drunk, and you’re trying to ruin my life,” and before her father could reply, her friend’s dad said calmly that while it was true that Katie had showed up late—and that she’d been missing for about an hour—she was safe now, and it was late, and maybe the best thing would be for everyone to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep, and that seemed to work—her father left quietly without making a scene—and then afterwards Katie said to her friend’s dad, “He was drunk—he’s an alcoholic and he’s always drunk, and he’s trying to ruin my life, and my mother was going to move out, but then she lost her job and now we don’t have any money and that’s why we have to stay with him, and he’s an alcoholic and he’s always drunk, and he’s trying to ruin my life,” and her friend’s dad said that, yes, he could see that her father was drunk and he was sure that it must be very difficult to live in that kind of situation, but on the other hand, she had been late—missing for about an hour—and her father seemed to be sincerely concerned about her safety—and perhaps, seeing how late it was, the best thing would be for her to go to bed now and get some rest, and Katie said, “I’m so sorry about all this—I’m really sorry—but he was drunk—he’s an alcoholic and he’s always drunk, and he’s trying to ruin my life, and my mother was going to move out, but then she lost her job and now we don’t have any money and that’s why we have to stay with him, and he’s an alcoholic and he’s always drunk, and he’s trying to ruin my life” and then her friend’s dad put a blanket around Katie’s shoulders, sat down next to her on the couch, and listened to her repeat herself over and over, until at last she was ready to go upstairs and lie down next to her friend, and the next morning he made breakfast for both Katie and his own daughter and then gave Katie a ride home.

by Nina Zolotow

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