5. Honor Thy Father
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Long summers at the lake house. No TV. No phone. Just board games, cold lapping water, the police scanner—and him, listening. He teaches me to play and never lets me win. Gin. Hearts. It’s always a gamble. I play hide-and-go-seek and follow a lost child down to the docks. I swim until my skin turns blue. Eventually, I learn to win, but then he stops playing and goes out back with a spade. Life is sweet. Donuts for breakfast. Cold cuts and soda for lunch. Shopping at the outlets. Ice cream after dinner. When summer ends, we’ll go back home where there’s just one game to play. I’ll turn on the TV, and he’ll turn on the attic fan, so loud the whole house rumbles. It doesn’t matter if I scream. No one can hear anything.
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