A Long Way Back
Prose by Erik Peters
I was at school when I got the text from Mum. Your father fell. Took him to the hospital. He’s shaken but looks like he’ll be OK.
It’s hard to ignore a classroom of seven year olds, but I couldn’t focus on teaching and spent the afternoon in prayer and worried memories.
Bedtimes reading Bear Goes Shopping.
Helping him build the back porch.
Father-son camping trips.
Going to the cabin.
Bike rides.
How to give of yourself for your family;
How to work honourably.
Introductions to Nirvana and Led Zeppelin.
Learning to drive.
Weeknights when he’d pick me up from a party, drunk as a skunk.
Proofreading term papers.
Discussions at family dinners and around the firepit.
Help with resumes and resignations.
Advice on my wedding day.
Mum texted that evening: Got him home. It’s quite the bruise. He and the dog are watching TV.
“I’ll call him before he goes to bed,” I told Ana.
I scrolled through my call history to find his contact. It was a long way back.
It’s hard to ignore a classroom of seven year olds, but I couldn’t focus on teaching and spent the afternoon in prayer and worried memories.
Bedtimes reading Bear Goes Shopping.
Helping him build the back porch.
Father-son camping trips.
Going to the cabin.
Bike rides.
How to give of yourself for your family;
How to work honourably.
Introductions to Nirvana and Led Zeppelin.
Learning to drive.
Weeknights when he’d pick me up from a party, drunk as a skunk.
Proofreading term papers.
Discussions at family dinners and around the firepit.
Help with resumes and resignations.
Advice on my wedding day.
Mum texted that evening: Got him home. It’s quite the bruise. He and the dog are watching TV.
“I’ll call him before he goes to bed,” I told Ana.
I scrolled through my call history to find his contact. It was a long way back.
About the Writer
Erik Peters is a teacher and avid mediaevalist from Vancouver, Canada. Erik's work with marginalised students has profoundly influenced his writing, which has been published in numerous magazines including Coffin Bell, Showbear Family Circus, Prospectus, The Louisville Review, and The Dead Mule School. Check out links to all Erik's publications at www.erikpeters.ca or @erikpeterswrites.
