A hot shower hit just right. I put on a Springsteen USA shirt and joined Larry and Meredith in the living room. Larry had gone with a blue polo shirt decorated with red and white musical notes. Meredith wore a red dress with a blue sash and white hat. 

            “Hey, Dad, I was thinking of that time we drove out to the state park in your Jeep and got poured on. We pulled off into that outhouse before the dunes and huddled together to ride it out. Someone had carved Spin Cycle Sucks into the wood. Dealing with that adds to being a local, right?”

            “Hey, Fender. Welcome home. Mary said you were around. When did you get here?”

            The road trip smashed into a cement concourse. My heart exploded. I tried not to make a face, but I knew I did because all of them except Dad reacted, concealing frowns with smiles. I did my darndest to put a smile on. I bit my lip to fight back tears. This was life. It’s raw and real and it’s why we live. But fuck, man. It hurts sometimes. 

            You prepare for moments for a reason. So when the knife plunges in, you’re steeled against it, have a metal plate protecting your heart. The pain’s real, but you’re going to survive.

            Sometimes I sit here and wonder, “What’s this guy going to think next?” And then you spin something like that. After all these years, I’m still amazed. It’s a talent, I think, the way you explain the ways of life to yourself, and now, others, I suppose.

            “I came in last night with Larry. My final stretch to Mordor. That was a hell of a scavenger hunt you built.”

            “Did you drop the ring in yet?”

            He asked the question like he wasn’t sure if we’d had the conversation. 

            “Not yet.”

            “Well, shit, Buck! If Frodo never chucks the ring of power into Mordor, Middle Earth would have been haunted by Sauron for time infinite.” 

            I slapped him on the back. His mind might have been fading, but his shoulders were thick as ever. “Technically Gollum bit Frodo’s finger off and fell into the lava with the ring. But who’s keeping score?”

            “Not me. I stopped after my lead got so big. Let’s take care of this for you, once and for all.” 

            He marched outside, down the boardwalk, and through the sand to the shore. I followed him. Larry, Meredith, and Paul watched from the upper deck. Dad held out his hand. His fingertips were calloused. “Ring, please.” 

            I twisted the ring Laramie had given me off my right ring finger and placed it in his palm. He examined it in the sunlight, spinning it, listening to the stories it possessed. He handed it back to me. 

            “I can’t do it for you.” 

            “I know.” 

            The silver glinted like memories not yet formed . I closed my fist around it and closed my eyes. The seagulls cawed. Cold waves lapped over my feet, standing firm on the wet sand. I took in a breath, held it, and felt light explode through my chest. I exhaled, noticed the sun on my skin, and opened my eyes. I cocked my arm back and fired the ring into the sky. It soared through home sweet home blue skies, a tiny object with so much significance, and disappeared into the great lake. 

            “You feel that?” Dad asked. 

            “I feel that.”

            “Can’t change the past. But you can change how you think about it, and how you let it impact you.” 

            We turned and walked back to the house. Larry’s big hands clapped. Meredith leaned on the rail, smiling proudly. The door behind them opened and Paul appeared. He wore a red, white, and blue striped shirt saying, “Party In The USA” and swim trunks. His silver hair was tied into a ponytail. 

            “I should’ve just had you be my therapist,” I said. 

            “Maybe, but we would’ve gotten sidetracked. Neither of us can pay attention for that long. Plus, I can’t remember shit these days.” 

            “True,” I said. There was a James inside his head somewhere, but maybe James was sick and dying. Maybe that was what it meant to begin to forget. 

            If I start feeling like shit, I’ll be sure to let you know.

            He nodded to his bandmates on the deck. “By the way, we’re doing a show tonight. Don’t know if anyone told you. In the basement at Jimmy’s old place, just like the old days. I need someone to help with miscellaneous stuff. If you’re around.” 

            “Yeah, for sure, I’ll be around.”

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