Dad, would you mind if we crashed at your place for a few months? Jack asked, his voice wobbling a little.
Mind? his father, Geoffrey, replied curtly. No.
Geoffrey had been living solo in a threebed flat since his divorce a decade ago. Hed remarried twice, but each marriage fizzled out quickly; his temperament was as tough as oldfashioned leather, almost unbearable. Women drifted in and out, never staying long, yet he never abandoned his son. Besides paying child support, he bought Jack everything he needed and kept a strict, nononsense hand in his upbringingfirm, masculine, bereft of affection, but with a fathers sense of duty.
Jack had learned to be independent early. After finishing his Alevels he went straight into work and moved out of his mums house, renting a small room in a student hall. A couple of years later he married Emily, a schoolfriend, and the two were saving for a deposit on a mortgage. Just as they were about to pile up the first payment, the landlord announced the flat was for sale, and theyd have to wait until the deal closed. Jack thought perhaps he could ask his dad for a temporary roof, since Geoffreys threeroom flat was largely empty. When Jack began to back off, Geoffrey added:
But you can stay. Just keep it quiet.
Thanks, Jack exhaled, relieved.
He knew his father was a quiet man, sparing with words and feelings, so the quiet rule didnt startle him. Emily, now five months pregnant, welcomed the peace as well. What she didnt realise was that quiet meant the whole house had to be silentexcept for Geoffrey in his own domain.
Geoffrey rose at five each morning, clomping about in his slippers, performing his ritual tour: bathroom, kitchen, back to the bathroom, then the kitchen again. The house filled with a steady clackclackclack as he shuffled about, followed by a sudden bang! when something fell. Bloody hell! hed mutter, oblivious to the sleepy occupants. If you dont like it, youre free to leave, hed think, never inviting anyone else to complain.
Beyond the morning ruckus, Geoffrey set rules for Jack and Emily: no television after nine, no frying anything that would smell strong, and a strict save the water and the electricity policyhe wasnt made of money, after all.
The week went on until Emily was rushed to the hospital. Two days later, Geoffrey showed up with a sack of fruit, his face set in that stern expression.
The baby needs vitamins, he said, thrusting the bag forward.
Thank you, Geoffrey, Emily replied, genuinely grateful.
Right, Ill be off. Listen to the doctor, he added, nodding.
Will do, she smiled, waving him away.
After Emilys discharge, Geoffrey kept his fiveoclock habit, but tried to be a bit quieter, even attempting a sort of fatherinlaw care. Hed call for breakfast in his gruff tone, or silently snatch a rag to mop the floor himselfafter all, a pregnant woman needs rest.
The couple finally bought their flat three months later, but Geoffrey insisted they remodel it before moving in. Emily gave birth right in the middle of the renovation, and the newborn, little Violet, was whisked back to Geoffreys flat for a while. Both his own mother and Emilys parents dropped by a few times, but Geoffrey always gave the cold shoulder to guestsexcept for his granddaughter. Whenever he saw her, a rare smile softened his stern features, and he swore hed shield her from any danger the world might pose.
Each morning he fetched tiny Violet so Emily could sleep a few extra hours after sleepless nights. He even learned to change diapers, and when the day came for them to shift into their own place, Geoffrey, dabbing a scarce tear from his cheek, looked at the pair and said:
Youre still young to be living with a baby on your own. Stay here for nowdont be long. Until Violet gets married, at least.
Jack and Emily stared at each other, bewildered. Geoffrey turned away and added:
Just a bit of oldage sentimentality. Come on, haul your things in. Youll manage to move before the King of Heaven decides otherwise.
Jack and Emily had assumed Geoffrey was waiting for them to leave, but the old mans sudden softness left them speechless. In the end they decided to stay a little longerafter all, its nice to have a granddad around.
Geoffrey, now cooing over Violet, felt a warmth he hadnt known in years, delighted that his life now revolved around the one little person he cherished most.
