Free Less Than Perfect Circumstance by Kristofer Clarke Page A

told just about everyone else  I decided to call.
    “Speak!” he commanded.
    My father had an unusual way of answering his cell phone.
    “Dad, how’s it going?”
    “Hey, Rene. W hat’s going on big man?”
    My father was the only person who, today, uses my middle name whenever we talked. After my mother passed, my father decided to name me in honor of her memory. He wanted to make certain she was never forgotten. He wanted something of my mother to continue with me, as if his love, my birth, and the fact that I re sembled my mother in every way were n’t enough. Rene became my middle name, pronounced slightly different of course. I was named Trevor to honor my grandfather. I wore both names with unmatched pride. 
    “Not much going on, dad. I haven’t spoken to you in few days. I have good news.”
    “You met a woman and you’re getting married?” Robert joked.
    “Funny, dad, but no, that’s not it.”
    If I didn’t know my father as well as I did, I would have thought he was serious.
    “Then what is it?”
    He knew marriage wasn’t a part of whatever good news I had to share. I gave my father a more abbreviated version of the story I had shared with Denise and Kelvin. Regardless, my father was just as proud.
    So many times I felt no one else understood me better than my father did. I couldn’t ever remember my father not being there to share in my accomplishments or my failure s . He was always there with encouraging words. He was my biggest fan. When I needed a father, Robert Seymour was there. When I needed a mother, both her spirit and my father were there, too.
    “Congratulations, son! You know how proud I am of you.”
    “Dad, you do realize that’s exactly what you said when I won the 7 th grade Spelling Bee.”
    “Yes, I remember, and I’m even more proud now. So what else is happening? How are things with you and Kelvin?”
    My father surprised m e . Usually he would simply ask if I were ok. Since I tol d him of our breakup, he rarely mentioned Kelvin’s name to me.
    “Kelvin and I are fine, dad. He was in New York for a couple days, and he’s actually planning on visiting this weekend.”
    “Are you ok with that?” Robert paused, giving me just enough time to think about the question and my response.
    “You mean with him coming? Of course I am. It’s been too long.”
    “Feelings are still there, aren’t they?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Of course they are,” Robert agreed.
    It’s during these conversations that I felt I was talking to my best friend and not my father. I was happy my father and my best friend were one and the same. 
    “I love him with all my heart.”
    I surprised even myself with my admission. I couldn’t believe what I had just said to my father, but in all honesty, Robert already knew the feelings I had for this man.
    “I feel you, big man. Distance doesn’t work in all relationships.”
    Admittedly, hearing my father call me a big man during this conversation was somewhat weird.
    “Well, apparently he couldn’t handle the distance. I didn’t have a problem with it. Even though he assured me it would work, everything changed slowly after he moved.”
    “I hear you. Did you ever think about moving?”
    “When he moved, dad, we had it all planned out. But I guess not everything we plan actually works out.”
    “So you’re going to come up for air after he leaves?”
    I laughed. It amused me to hear my father talk so openly.
    “Exactly!” I replied through laughter, and I could almost see my
    dad smiling.
    “I’m not stupid. Been there, done that. There’s nothing like making love to your ex, especially if the feelings are still there.”
    What does he know about making love to your ex? I thought to myself. I couldn’t recall my father ever mentioning being with any other woman besides my mother. Nevertheless, I was sure there must have been a few. According to my grandmother, my father was a heartbreaker in his day, and I must admit, he still is.
    “I