I Agreed to Let My Son Skip Exams

Heath stared intently at my face, waiting for me to contradict myself. Perhaps he was waiting for me to suddenly change my tune like I always used to and start lecturing him.But I didn't. I just kept eating fruits as one TV program after another played."I sure hope you have truly come to your senses." Heath stood up and loomed over me, his voice trembling. "Liam, don't go back to your old ways in a few days. Do you have any idea what kind of life I've lived all these years?" His voice grew louder, and his eyes reddened.I remained silent."Other kids spent their weekends at amusement parks, while I went to math enrichment classes. Other kids watched cartoons, while I had extra classes. When other kids learned to ride a bike, their parents held on to the back of the bike. Meanwhile, I fell and hurt my knees all alone. When you got back, the first thing you asked me was if I'd finished the day's homework."I remembered every instance."Everyone else has a mom, but I don't." Hea

I ate my dinner slowly.The TV was on, and the news was covering that day's exam. The camera panned across the parents anxiously waiting outside the exam hall. Some held umbrellas, some held bottles of water, and others stood on tiptoes, trying to see inside.I turned it off.7:30 pm came and went. Then 8:00 pm. Then 9:00 pm.Heath still hadn't come home.I sat on the couch, my finger hovering over the call button, wanting to call him. Then I pressed the back button and backed out of my contacts.I opened Instagram and saw that Heath had posted something half an hour ago.It was a photo of a few brightly colored liquor bottles sitting on a table under dim lighting. He wrote, "I'm free."The location was at a bar.I knew the place. It was on the street just outside our apartment, about a ten-minute walk away.Heath had posted it for me to see. He knew I'd check his Instagram, and he wanted me to see it. He wanted me to panic, to do what I'd always done before and rush over to

I listened to Jason talk as I continued peeling the apple."Mr. Hanson, actually…" Jason hesitated, as though he were weighing his options. "Heath actually misses you. We were chatting two days ago, and he broke down crying halfway through. I asked him what was wrong, and he just brushed me off, saying he was fine. But I knew he was just too stubborn to admit it. He'd always been like that. The worse he felt, the harder he'd try to pretend that he was fine."I handed him the apple I'd peeled and wiped my hands. "What is he doing now?"Jason took the apple from me and said quietly, "He's working at a cafe in the mall. Heath is on his feet for ten hours a day, making 12 dollars an hour. When I went to see him, his feet were all swollen, but he told me he wasn't tired and that he was so happy to be free. But I knew he was just pretending."Jason's voice dropped even lower. "Heath went to work with a low-grade fever that day. He was on his feet all day and nearly passed out. His manage

Then I set my phone down.That night, I dreamed about Heath when he was five. He had a high fever, his little body curled up under the blankets, shivering uncontrollably. His face was flushed an unnatural red.Back then, I was running the hardware store and couldn't take time off. I could only use my lunch break to ride my motorcycle 20 minutes back home, give him some fever medicine, and wipe him down with a cool towel to bring his temperature down. Then I'd ride back to the store.I could still picture how brutally hot the sun was that afternoon. My arms hurt from the heat as I rode, and I was crying the whole way. I didn't know if it was because of how hot it was or because I was hurting so badly for him.Heath was so small and soft. Half-delirious with fever, he'd cling to my finger and say, "Dad, don't go. I'm scared."Yet here I was, sitting there knowing he was curled up alone in a tiny, partitioned room, his ankle swollen and cold sweat beading on his face from the pain, w

Heath's voice was so hoarse that I could barely hear him. "Was it Jason who sold me out?""No," I lied. I didn't want him to think that Jason had betrayed him."Just leave." His hand, braced against the doorframe, began to tremble, but he gritted his teeth and lifted his chin, looking at me with that stubborn expression I knew so well. "I told you, we're not family anymore."I didn't move. "You have a fever.""I know.""Let's get you to the hospital.""No.""Heath." I stood in the doorway, my voice calm. "If you won't let me in, I'll stand right here. If you close the door, I'll stand outside. You have two choices. Either you come to the hospital with me, or I'll stand here until you agree to go."Heath glared at me, his lips moving slightly. He probably wanted to say something harsh, but the fever was so high that his mind was barely functioning. Then he swayed and pitched forward.I reached out and caught him, and he struggled weakly in my arms."Let me go…" He rasped the w