Passing the Torch

Sandi took a sip of coffee and nestled into my arm. “You’re going to have to talk to Ian. He has a girlfriend and he’s really embarrassed about it. You’ll have to be gentle, but he needs to know how to treat a relationship.”

I inhaled the aroma of my coffee and took a sip. “Do I do anything right?”

Sandi chuckled. “Probably, more than you think. Let’s go over some. Firstly, you brought me a cup of coffee.”

“No big deal. I had a mug and thought you might like some.”

“When we go shopping, you open my car door. Before we head across the parking lot, you offer me your arm.”

“I think you’re special. Showing it isn’t that hard.”

Sandi took another sip. “You stop what you’re doing if I want to tell you something. I’ve watched. If you’re wearing your ear buds, you’ll pause the video and pull them out. You even turn around to look me in the eye.”

“You’re the most important person in my life. Why wouldn’t I want to hear what you say?”

“That’s not all. Remember at the company picnic that one year and those guys were trash-talking their wives? You didn’t. Instead, you told them I was the source of everything good in your life. You didn’t think I’d hear, but I did.

“Um… I’m not perfect, you know. No one’s more aware of my faults than you.”

“Do you know the best thing you do? You tell me that you love me, and you do it several times a day. Each time, I can tell how much you mean it.”

Sandi laid her head on my chest. “Just pull him aside and give a talk. I can’t do it, not the way you can. This is a dad thing.”

William R. Bartlett lives in Belton with his family.