Bert sat on the swing set remembering years gone by. Back when swinging on here seemed like the most exciting thing a person could do. His dad would push him as he flew into the sky, his tummy turning over. Flying so high he thought the chains would break and he’d be catapulted to outer space.
He smiled as he thought about his dad. He loved his dad. He’d never shown it, but he loved him. They weren’t the affectionate types, so love would be hard to see, but he felt it. He felt it when his dad would smile at him after he did something brave. Like when the school bully had punched him out. Bert had come back and knocked the bully kids front teeth out. Dad had picked him up from the principle’s office that day. Had put his hand on Bert’s shoulder, and looked down at him, he could see love, and pride in his fathers’ eyes.
The principal was angry, he didn’t like fighting. Dad said he’d make sure Bert would get punished when he got home. Instead he had taken Bert to his favourite diner; they had the best shakes in the world. Dad got him the biggest shake they had, it was a monster, filled with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Dad sure could show his love. He was gonna miss him, that was for sure.
He hadn’t seen his dad in almost 5 years, He couldn’t. After the trouble he’d had to go on the run. A fugitive, he supposed. Dad knew though, he understood the situation. He would never have held it against him. Dad had been the strongest person he knew, strongest person he’d ever met. He was glad he didn’t see him in the end. Apparently, the cancer had stripped him bare. He was nothing but a bag of bones in the end, he’d heard. Dad wouldn’t have wanted Bert to see him like that.
Bert couldn’t go to the funeral; he bet the cops would be staking out the place, they would be sure Bert would go. They knew how much his dad had meant to him. His dad would have thought him a fool if he’d gotten caught there.
The cemetery was a short walk from the park. He figured he’d waited long enough. It was 2 am now. The full moon cast silver light onto the gravestones, illuminating them; it gave Bert an eery feel in the pit of his belly. There was bite of winter in the air, soon these graves would be covered in snow.
He found the grave easy enough. All this fuss for a slab of stone. “Loving Father” the stone read. Sure, in his way he was, not the words he was expecting to see though. His older brother Randall must have had them put that. Randall sure didn’t think dad was a loving father when dad beat him so bad, he had to skip school for a month. He had supposed dad did it out of love though. Teaching your kids not to be smart asses is surely an important part of parenting.
Bert’s trouble started when he was just 18, The police called it murder; Bert called it teaching someone not to be a smart ass. They had arrested him, charged him, and bailed him. He’d been on the run ever since.
It had been almost 5 years now. 5 years since he’d seen his family, his friends, or anyone from his old life. He had tried to call his dad once. His dad told him “Don’t to be such a dumb ass! Don’t call, don’t write, don’t visit, you’re smarter than this!” He was smarter than that. He’d never spoken to his father again.
The cops had added a few more charges to the list since then. DNA linked him to 3 murders across the country. Too many smart asses in this world! He had thought with a smile.
Bert fished a small pine cone out of his pocket. He’d picked it up off his dad’s property the day he went on the lam. He’d kept it all this time. He turned it around in his hand. Just a pine cone, it had been the only link he’d had had to home in the last 5 years. It had come to mean a lot to him, stupid really. He laid it down on his father’s grave “Sorry I didn’t bring you flowers dad, and I’m sorry you went out like this. I hope I’ve done you proud.”
Bert felt for sure his dad would be proud. He’d be proud Bert took no shit. He’d be proud he’d gone this long without being caught. He bet his dad would be smiling down at him from heaven. He looked up to the sky, “I should have brought us a couple of shakes, eh Dad?” he said with a laugh.
In his van on the other side of the cemetery, Special Agent Neil Fox watched as Bert approached the grave. The full moon shone like a spot light on Bert Randsome. Agent Fox had been scoping out the cemetery all day. Finally, that stupid son if a bitch had shown up. Fox called in back up as he watched Bert talk to the head stone. He knew Bert would turn out to be sentimental. Everyone in town said he idealised his father. He knew he’d have to come here.
He watched Bert lean down and put something on the grave. “Now” he said into his walkie. “Go, go, go” He watched as his team surrounded Bert. Fox walked up to make the arrest.
Fox smiled smugly at Bert. Bert looked at the agent with a sideways smile, “You son of a bitch, I guess you got me!”
Bert laughed as Neil clapped the handcuffs onto him, “Bert Randsome” he said with a smile, “you are under arrest.”
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