The ties that unbind

Lunch breaks were always too short for busy people hungry to go run errands. 23 minutes. That was how much time Harold had left, before he had to go racing back to his non-official grease monkey job, working out of a small space in the old auto parts factory. Money paid under the table every 2 weeks, just how Harold liked it. Ex-convicts were hard up on finding decent jobs in Southern Nebraska. But Harold was known for being resourceful. Even now, looking down the messy isles of this god-forsaken grocery store, Harold smiled to himself remembering the old days of when he casually walked out of stores just like this one, with pockets nearly bursting full of stolen merchandise. Harold knew he could get by without a fancy paper boasting to the world that he graduated from one of those snobby colleges. Harold dropped out before his freshman year of High School. He had proven to everyone that he was no sunshine. No chance of seeing Harold as one of those 'good morning' news anchors, whose goal was to deliver the news, while starting everyone's day off with a smile. Harold's father, on the other hand, was something of a socialite back in Harold's big city hometown. Doctor J was a dentist who loved gossip and only smiled whenever it suited his image, which was often. "You'll never understand how important it is to get the right people on your side because you'll never be half the man I am." Doctor J once coldly said to a young Harold. Harold was Doctor J's only child. Doctor J, or "DJ" to family and neighbors, often exploited others without the least bit of guilt or shame. Harold would never forget that day. "I'm leaving you" cried Harold's mother, moments before she disappeared forever out the front door of their huge three-story house. He remembered the shame he felt, seeing her attempt to mask the bruises on her face in thick coats of Covergirl makeup concealer. His mother met Doctor J when she was a younger naïve woman fresh out of nursing school. At first, Doctor J was magnetic and charming. By the time his mother's spirit was broken, she had given up looking for a job, and learned to stop standing up for herself. Doctor J flew into fits of rage anytime he felt criticized. All this, of course, happened behind closed doors. 

Doctor J spread rumors faster than the wildfires that visited California during the summer. A master of turning the blame on to others, he was once briefly suspected of extorting money from insurance companies. All Doctor J had to do was 'turn on the charm'. Before anybody knew what happened, Doctor J was posing for holiday photos with the mayor. The same female employee who threatened to tell Harold's mother of the affair she was having with Doctor J, was jailed for insurance fraud. 

Harold quickly gathered the ingredients he needed and went to the front register. "My dad said you're the best damn mechanic this town has ever had" confided the husky woman scanning Harold's purchases, before putting them into his shopping bag. Her curly hair constantly in motion, she never missed a beat as she counted out Harold's change and handed over the receipt. "My car needs a Midas touch, but I got no idea what's wrong with it" she confessed. Harold looked her right in the eye. "Why don't you bring it by, I'll tell you what's wrong with it. No charge" Harold replied in his usual straight forward tone. The woman shook her head, but she was smiling at him. "You're too damn honest, Harold. I sure do appreciate you. Meant to ask, what's the occasion?" she gestured toward his grocery bag "Never thought of you as a baker." Harold's face began to blush. "I gotta get back to work, you know how my boss is". 

Later that night, there was a knock on the door of Harold's apartment. Giggles soon erupted in the living room, as Harold rushed past them to answer the front door. He knew he had recently paid for all his late rent and was not expecting anyone else to come over for a visit. Standing on the other side of the door, was a polished looking older man in a suit. His hair implants were as fake as his porcelain smile. It was Harold's father: Doctor J. It had been almost 30 years since the last time Harold saw his father face to face. Harold had always avoided him ever since running away from home when he was still a teenager. Doctor J loved to keep people around he could make feel small, like one of the blue Smurfs on Saturday morning cartoons that other kids got to watch. Doctor J would have been Gargamel, the big evil wizard who lived in a dark castle. Only in this case, the dark castle was a three-story mansion, while Harold lived an hour away in a small converted shed he rented in someone's backyard. Harold always knew his flamboyant father would not let him off the hook so easily. His father loved to talk to anyone who could stand listening to him say Harold was the biggest disappointment of his life. Without being invited in, Doctor J flashed a forced smile as he moved forward and dramatically exclaimed "Came by to pay a visit to the one good thing in my life, on this special day". Harold's face was stern, but deep inside he felt a mixture of rage, resentment, and fear. He stood motionless at the entry, blocking his father from coming inside. On one side of the doorway was a man with multiple bank accounts and a heart as miserable as the Sahara desert. On the other side was a father who learned and lived a virtuous life while keeping his hidden cash behind a used microwave from the local thrift store. The giggles from the living room came to join both men in this apparent standoff. The source of the giggles spoke. "I'm 5 today!" beamed the little girl. Olivia's eyes were cheerful and the same color as Harold's. She was speaking to Doctor J the same way she would speak to any stranger her joyful heart welcomed as a potential new friend. Doctor J sneered at her. "It smells like it stinks inside there" the old man said with all the warmth of a freezer box. Olivia was quick to fill him in. "That's because my daddy baked me a birthday cake!" Earlier, the wailing smoke alarm had joined Harold's curses at the forgotten oven in the kitchen. The dark smoke billowing out from the oven door had sent Olivia bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter. She knew her dad was no baker, but she couldn't hide her happiness as she peeked into the kitchen to see Harold nervously reading baking instructions from an old Reader's Digest magazine. The husky woman at the grocery store had discreetly slipped the magazine into Harold's grocery bag, without him knowing. Though little Olivia didn't fully understand, she knew whatever was happening right now at the front door was something her father was doing to protect her. Harold never took his eyes off the old man standing in front of him. Never able to look anyone in the eyes, Doctor J seemed to look past Harold, completely expecting to be let inside like some kind of Hollywood celebrity whose name could not be found on the guest list. "I think you should go," said Harold, reaching deep inside himself for the courage to stand up to the rich man who looked down on him his whole life. Harold's father was astonished. Unconsciously, he took a step back. "Don't be ridiculous, you know who I am!" Doctor J gloated with self-importance. This was the first time Harold had ever stood up to his father. Although Doctor J never imagined this moment coming, Harold had been planning for it his whole life. "I can take care of myself, and you are not welcome in our lives". The words left Harold's lips, and the conviction in them resounded in the air like the breaking of shackles or the pounding of a Judge's wooden mallet after delivering a final verdict in court. In the background, Doctor J saw Olivia's little arm point up towards Harold as she proudly proclaimed "That's my daddy, and he loves me." And just as quickly as she had joined them, little Olivia skipped away from the two men, off to find the one-armed plastic doll she loved to tell all her secrets to. Harold nearly broke down in tears, hearing his daughter say this about him in front of his father, who soon began trembling in childish resentment. Harold took a moment for one last look at the old man, and quickly closed the front door before Doctor J could respond. Harold's father was too weak to break down the door, but Harold symbolically bolted the security lock closed, making sure his father would hear. Harold was no 'good morning' anchor, but he had delivered the news loud and clear.  

The drive home would feel long for Doctor J, even if he went twice the speed limit in his fancy top of the line sports car. Perhaps some music would help. Still seething in resentment, Doctor J quickly turned the dial on his car radio until he could, at last, find one station with clear reception. Up until this moment, It had always been one of his favorite local radio stations. Doctor J hoped to hear one of the 30-second commercials he created that featured his own voice, coaxing people to come to visit him for their twice a year dental cleanings. "All major insurances accepted!" He still loved hearing himself say that. Instead, his expensive car speakers began playing a popular song by an English Rock Band from the 1960s. Before Doctor J angrily turned off his car radio, he had found himself absentmindedly singing along to the song: 

"All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need."