Tolerance || Daddy's Home

Dad Went Into The Light

Jealousy is a strong thing. It motivates people, makes some vengeful, and others depressed.

Jealousy made Dusty vengeful. Kind of.

He started off the week quite strong with his ambitious goal of making the backyard the best hangout spot. While dad was at work he pulled his kids and I from school.

That alone got him some 'cool dad' points.

All morning was spent setting up the treehouse that dad and Dylan have been working on. I was a bit bitter that he took their bonding thing but he made it up. How? Well, he got me my own station of Legos and origami station in the corner of the backyard. Dad only ever got me Legos on special occasions saying they are far too expensive. Which I agree. They are pretty expensive for being a collectors toy, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't deny getting any.

The next big thing he did was a half-pipe for the skater kids.

Megan and Dylan's friends had already started pouring in as the hours progressed.

Now it was the end of school, and work, and kids flooded the yard. I was busy in my corner subconsciously making a famous character from the expensive colored toy blocks.

"Brad! Look what dad did!" Dylan shouted from the top of the treehouse. "He finished the treehouse for you!"

"Hey! Hey! B-man!" Dusty greeted. He took the zip-line down, speeding down the yard. I whirled around in my chair in time to see Dusty collide with dad.

Dusty helped dad up as my attention was back on the Lego in my hand. Though my attention was diverted I still kept an eye out on dad. Dusty had gotten clever in the ways he's gotten back at dad.

"Hey, Mr. Mayron! You want next?" A friend of Dylan's, Nicholas, asked from on top of the half-pipe.

"Nicholas, please, it's Dusty!" He said. "And yes, I do. Brad, watch this run."

Dusty got his skateboard and helmet making his way to the half-pipe. Dad had walked to my side where he greeted me. He looked down, amazed at the five legos already set up.

   "I'm gonna dedicate this run to my future X-Games champ, Dylan, Megan, and Emilia this is for you!" With a lean on the board, Dusty was off doing tricks every time he arrived at the end of the half-pipe. Every kid, including me and dad, were engaged watching Dusty soar on his board. That's when I felt dad's hand off my shoulder. I managed to tear my sight from Dusty to see dad marching back into the house.

I shrugged it off feeling my eyes move with Dusty's figure.

At the end of his turn, the kids and I clapped cheering for the man. I may not be fond of Dusty but he sure was impressive.

   "Thank you." He said, taking his helmet off. "Oh, hey, Sara."

I followed his gaze to the other side of the half-pipe to see his ex-wife standing there. She waved back slightly confused. I'm guessing she didn't know about the half-pipe... or the redbull sponsor... or this in general.

   "Okay. Who's got next?"

   "I do!"

We all looked around to see the kid that spoke.

   "Look!" A kid screeched pointing to the top of the house.

Oh shit. I shot up from my seat, went around the half-pipe to standing next to Sara.

   "Some cute little tricks there, Dusty!" Dad said from on top of the house. Did I not mention that? He's on top of the house!

I know of dad's hobby from back in the day being skateboarding but I mean, on the roof? He's gone insane.

Dad laughed downplaying Dusty's tricks. Beside me, Sara called dad's name adding to her confusion. She turned to me and I simply shrugged not sure either what was happening. I had been too busy with my legos to have fully been paying attention.

   "Hey, who'd like to see how we used to do it back in the empty pools of Encino, Castaic, Irvine, Long beach?" Dad listed. "Santa Clarita? Santa Cruz? Fremont?"

   "Honey, no, please come down." Sara voiced out her concern. Pretty sure we all felt that. Dad wasn't exactly the cool looking type of guy to know how to skateboard. Especially not now at his age.

   "Oh, I intend to, sister."

   "No, dad. You got nothing to prove. Come down." I said getting more concerned.

   "Nothing to worry about, sweetie."

With that dad turned, to what I'm guessing, to hype himself up.

Following Dusty, he leaned on his board gripping it as he flew in the air landing on the half-pipe. At the speed he was going he managed to hit the electrical wires giving us all a scare.

Sara let out a scream beside me. We both rushed to dad as he slide to the middle of the half-pipe. Before we were able to touch him Dusty slide next to us. He held his hands up advising us to not touch him.

   "What do you mean, don't touch him? He's in trouble."

   "Oh, my god. Dad." I gasped touching his arm. I didn't care what Dusty had to say. I just saw my dad black out from being electrocuted.

   "Look, I know he's in trouble. Okay?" Dusty sighed taking his helmet off tossing it to the side. "But if there's a problem, who do you want to be in charge?"

Sara scrunched her brows. "You?"

Dusty stood addressing the kids. "We have an emergency situation. And what's the first thing we do? Anybody?"

At this point tears had been shed. The times I've tried to move dad he was unresponsive making things set in.

   "You! Redhead."

The redhead said, "call 911."

   "Close. But wrong. First thing we do is remain calm. The 911 operator can't understand you if you're hysterical, okay?" Dusty made clear. "So let's all take a deep breath. In for ten..."

   "Help him!" I cried. Sara was beside me rubbing my shoulder telling Dusty to help him as well.

   "Hey, that's doesn't sound calm." Dusty slouched down to met our gaze from the floor.

   "Fuck you, you arrogant bastard." I seethed gripping to dad's pastel yellow work shirt.

   "Sara, can you please take Emilia away from the situation and calmly call 911?"

Sara nodded taking me by the shoulder to the side away from the half-pipe. My eyes couldn't be taken away from dad's still body. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. He'll be okay. He has to.

   "Anybody know what we do next?" Dusty called.

   "Check for pulse." Dylan answered. Dusty praised his boy and got him to check for dad's pulse. The scariest part about all this is hearing Dusty confirm dad was clinically dead.

That's were the waterworks came streaming down at a force I hadn't felt since I was in the orphanage.

Sara had been beside me the entire time rubbing my upper arm. Soft weeps made  itself visible from the soft whimpering to the glistening tears in the sunlight. Dusty was busy 'teaching' the kids about this very real situation.

   "Dusty, hurry!" Sara yelled still on the phone. Dusty turned to us finally taking in our distress appearances. His eyes lingering on me before moving Megan aside from doing chest compressions. He knelt down clasping his hands together. With one firm press on his chest dad sat up with a gasp and a couple of coughs.

Sara and I dashed to dad. I engulfed him in a tight hug. Sara helped dad by keeping a hand behind his upper back.

   "My dad can bring people back from the dead!" Dylan boasted, high-fiving his dad."

As Megan approached us, she screamed taking in dad's beaten features. "Mr. Whitaker's a zombie."

Unbelievable. The man has done everything for her and after dying he's back to being called Mr. Whitaker.

   "Fucking ungrateful."