Vigil

     Jeff smiled as he watched his son laugh and shout, run and play with the other children in the park. It was the middle of the afternoon, and most fathers were at work. Jeff was thankful that he could do part of his fulltime job via telecommuting. Most days he went into the office in the morning, when his son was at school. But the remainder of his work could be done at the office, or at home, or even in a coffee shop! Because of this, his wife Annie had been able to go back to her family home for a week or so, to help while her mother recuperated from some surgery.

     The park wasn’t very large, but did have some trees, grassy areas, and a few flower beds, plus a softball field, some basketball hoops, and public bathrooms. The most popular part, however, was the playground, which was fairly new. There were plenty of interesting climbing structures, as well as slides, swings, and a large, knotted rope net, where the children played at being sailors, pirates, or spiders—sometimes all three at once. The children loved the playground. His son Andrew loved it...

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Mary M. Isaacs, copyright 2023

(from a forthcoming book)