Dad leaves the room in a hurry, his oxygen cord wound around his thumb resting on his index fingers. He tries not to trip, hopefully making it to the bathroom in time. The cold will keep him indoors for the next several months. Confined to our tiny house, he only leaves at most two months out of the year. A rented hospital bed, with red and tan throw pillows and matching sheets, compliments the rest of our living room. A dresser and assorted medical equipment, supplies, and sugar-free candies occupy the remaining space.

Since Dad got sick he prepares two gourmet meals a day for us in that slow cooker, is acquiring debt with iTunes, and daydreams about being a contestant on The Price is Right. Everyday he wakes my Mother up with her coffee, two Sweet n Lows and 2% milk, always made just right. He is primary caretaker to Rascal, Kirby, Mouse, and Willy. We say he treats the two cats and two dogs better than his wife and sons.

I’ve only seen him cry while cutting onions for supper. He never complains, and always has a smile on. In the spring he escapes the dusty house to carefully hand trim the bushes. He guides the cord to the electric mower with the utmost dexterity, as I tidy up the neglected lawn.

Dad’s two favorite articles of clothing are his maroon Augsburg College t-shirt and his blue University of Syracuse t-shirt. That’s where my brother and I go to school. It takes two people and a shoehorn to put on his stylish, all black, orthopedic, Velcro footwear when we occasionally take his oxygen tank for a spin up and down the block.
My visits to Long Island: I sleep on the couch, my mother curled up in the recliner with one eye open, just in case Dad needs something. My brother sleeps in an upstairs bedroom. Our two dogs sprawled across the wood floor block the walkway to the bathroom. The cats bunk up wherever they wish. The noise made by the respirator is probably annoying to most, but I like it.

Drew DeGennaro lives in Minneapolis where it is still warm for some reason (it’s November. . . ). He recently started writing Flash Fiction and his poetry has appeared in Haggard & Halloo, Calliope Nerve, Writer’s Bloc and other online and print publications.