Asher: A Second Chance Novel Read Online Free

for his father and found him in the den with a glass of bourbon in his hand. He was staring out the window the same way he had stared at the spot on the wall in the dining room.
    “Dad. She needs you right now.”
    Greg turned his blue eyes to his son and for a few seconds he didn’t even seem to see him. When he finally refocused he said, “I’m right here.” Asher wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew how much his father loved his mother so he tried not to worry.
    “Should I stay home tonight?” No matter what his mother said about wanting life to go on as normal, it just didn’t seem right. He was not even eighteen years old yet. How was he supposed to process losing his mother in two years or less while acting like everything was okay?
    Greg sat there silently for a long time and then in a voice that was barely above a whisper he said, “We can’t fix this.”
    “I know but…” His voice trailed off. His father was shaking his head.
    His father then put his hands to his head and said, “Just go Asher. I can’t talk about this anymore tonight.”
    Asher was confused by the way his father was acting. His dad had always been the strongest man he had ever known. Maybe he just needed some time. “Okay, I’ll be home later after the game. If you need me or if mom does, I have my pager.” Greg didn’t even respond. He went back to sipping his drink and staring out the window. Asher left the house feeling like it was an entirely different place than the happy home he had walked out of this morning before school. He felt lost and for the first time in years, he felt afraid.
    **
    Asher made it through the football game, barely. His coach and his teammates, especially Travis asked him more than once if he was okay. He had hit a few guys on the field that he shouldn’t have and the coach had pulled him out and questioned him about it. He was a great football player, but it was unlike him to be aggressive for no reason. He told them all that he was fine. He said he was just having a bad night. He wasn’t ready to tell anyone what was bothering him. If he told people his mother was sick, that she had cancer, it would make it too real.
    After the game while he showered in the locker room and his teammates talked and laughed and celebrated their win he stayed disconnected from it all. It was so surreal. How could his life just be going on as his mother’s was ending? Travis found him in front of his locker buttoning up his shirt. His hands were shaking and his friend knew something was wrong.
    “Ash, what’s going on? Is this about what you had to go home for earlier?”
    Asher slammed his locker and then he hit it with his fist. Travis didn’t flinch. He just sat and waited until Asher was ready. He finally said, “I just can’t talk about it right now. Mia’s waiting for me. We’ll talk later, okay?”
    “Okay, just know I’m here for you, man.”
    “I know. Thanks.”
    On his way out of the gym to go and find Mia he ran into Dean. Asher had forgotten he was coming this weekend.
    “Hey man! Great game. I couldn’t believe you out there barrelling through that defensive line like that.” Asher’s face must have given him away because Dean suddenly stopped talking and asked, “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing. Nothing’s going on. Sorry man. I just forgot you were coming to town. I sort of made other plans.”
    Travis came around the corner just then. Asher could tell by the look on Dean’s face that he knew something was wrong and it wasn’t about making other plans. Travis stepped in and saved him.
    “Hey Dean, you lucky son of a bitch! You get to hang out with me tonight.”
    Dean looked from Asher to Travis and then said, “Yeah, that’s cool. Ash, call me tomorrow, alright? I’ll be in town until Sunday.”
    “Okay, sure.” He walked away then, feeling like a zombie. It was like things were happening around him and he wasn’t an active participant in any of it. Before he was out of