August 2025 Short STory

Joel raised his head to the sound of The Price is Right blaring on the television. The show was his father’s favourite, and everyday he would wheel his chair in front of the screen to cheer for each contestant. In fact, it seemed he was happier than the winning contestants themselves, laughing out loud to the point of joyful tears. Joel removed his blanket, which he was sleeping under for the last hour and sat up on the couch, rubbing his eyes and unsuccessfully stifling a yawn. 

“Hey Bud, did that contestant win a car?” asked Joel, putting a hand on his father’s shoulder. Joel had stopped calling him father, or dad for the past few years, but instead opted for Bud or Jim—and his father didn’t mind.

“Car! Car!” shouted Jim, his excitement growing on his face as the contestant got closer and closer to winning the ultimate prize.

Joel yawned again and glanced at the walls around the small room, dent marks showing where Jim had accidentally banged into the walls with his wheelchair. They tried wrapping cloths over the handlebars but to no avail. No amount of padding could stop the damage to the walls. They might as well be asking for a miracle.

Joel looked outside, where a small pool offered birds and other animals a source of water, along with some pitiful few fish that had managed to survive the gauntlet of hungry mouths. Joel grinned. He remembered when Jim threw him into a lake in order to teach him how to swim. He remembered the cold water snatching away his breath and threatening to sink him to the murky depths of the bottom. It wasn’t the first time his dad had thrown him into a pool or lake. One time, he had been thrown into a small pool in the yard, and it resulted in a bloody nose. His dad tried to teach him all sorts of practical skills and tasks, but rarely ever instructed Joel on how to deal with society—leaving his social skills undeveloped. This meant that Joel grew up as a introvert, distant from society and relatively uncaring. It wasn’t till he was in his late twenties before Joel realized the importance of relationships and socializing with people.

“Awww…” cried Jim as the contestant lost her chance of winning a car. Joel smiled as he walked out to get some fresh air. The room always smelled of baby lotion with the slight hint of toilet water in the washroom and on cleaning days the overpowering smell of disinfectant could make a person choke.

Joel walked out into the garden, which was maintained for the residents of the care home to enjoy. Seeing bees and butterflies pollenating the vast array of flowers, it reminded him of his pollen allergy, which had developed after an infection in Hong Kong. Unused to the pollution in the air and water, Joel’s eyes itched like crazy, and suddenly developed white lenses, which made them rush to the hospital to get treated. Back then, Jim carried Joel on his back along the beach, racing to the hospital as fast as they could. Thankfully his eyes were treated and recovered shortly, but not before developing an annoying pollen allergy that bothered him from time to time. Joel could remember his dad holding him tight, the slight worry on his face and the determination to get his son the help he needed.

Looking over the fence, Joel watched a soccer game being played by several children in the nearby school, reminding him of when he used to play with his dad. Every Sunday after church, a group of die-hard soccer fans would gather at a dusty soccer field and play for several hours, even in the scorching heat of the summer. Joel liked to play defensive positions, while Jim preferred to play midfield, straddling the line between helping defending and going on the attack. Soccer was one of the few activities that Joel and Jim participated in together, and resulted in some good father-son memories, which many years later, seemed all but forgotten.

As a fish leapt lazily to try and catch a hovering dragonfly, Joel couldn’t help but also remember about the pond in their old house. Jim had literally created a backyard oasis, with a pond, firepit, treehouse and impressive garden. Joel was more interested in frying ants with a magnifying glass, but enjoyed looking at the fish in the pond or building a campfire in the pit. 

Another past time Joel enjoyed at the old house was bike riding, and Jim had even put together a bike out of scraps as a gift to Joel. It had striped neon paint and was, for lack of words, insanely cool. To say Joel was spoiled was an understatement, yet he never appreciated his privileges until it was too late. The family sold the house more than a decade ago, leaving behind all the childhood memories Joel had there and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Joel entered back into the room and watched his father laugh at the game show. All those memories of a doting father were all he had left, only a husk of the man he once was. But Joel never believed life was easy, and despite the challenges facing his father, he had learned to be grateful for what he did have, instead of regretting what he had lost.

The End