First day of his return from abroad, when his plane had landed at the airport, he had begun thinking about his son. He had been meaning to speak with him for some time and it seemed like the best time had finally arrived. They had patched things up and he needed to call and talk to him.
He wasn't home yet; renovation work was still going on and the builders were doing overtime. The carousel of his childhood was also still there and he would get to get a visual on the work that was happening.
He pulled out his phone and dialled his number, expecting him to answer on the second ring.
"Hey, Dad! How was your trip abroad?"
"Yeah, been great. It was great to get back home to the place where I grew up and all that. Oh and by the way, I've decided to finally move back home and take charge of things around here. You around?"
"I sure am. I'm psyched 'bout the news, he he. Be there in a jiffy. I'll explain the details as we go along. See you in a few." The kid said as he ended the call.
He was thinking, "It's been so long…" as he got out of the car. There were two of the guys doing some welding outside.
They had begun a few days after he had left and were working extra hard to get it done on time. They had been very enthusiastic and dedicated workers.
He waved at them and they waved back, grinning from ear to ear, making him feel at home all of a sudden. He recognized one of them and gave him a nod signifying that he knew him. He was that kid in his class when he was in school who would steal things from his desk when he wasn't looking.
He had eventually drifted away from the school when his dad had been transferred and they had moved to another town in another part of the country. He hadn't seen him since then. He hadn't seen anyone from the school actually, which was one of the reasons why he wanted to see his son.
He hadn't felt any different here at the spot. It was still the same place, his childhood hangout. He had played here for years with his friends, had studied here, he had seen his friends grow into adulthood. It hadn't changed much. It hadn't changed at all.
He felt good coming back here. It felt like he was coming back home.
"The kid's out playing with his friends. He'll be back soon. The work is coming along real well. I'll take you to see it once he's back. Looks great. I'm just waiting for the finishing touches. Maybe I'll have time to let you take a carousel ride."
He got to work immediately. He was getting tired of waiting. He wanted the work to be over so he could do something else. Something he would be happy about.
After waiting for what seemed like ages for the kid to come back, his son was ages away, he got impatient.
He began to feel an itch. He felt like taking on some more work on the outside. It was getting really on his nerves. He had to do something.
Eventually, the kid settled into work. He had to do something outside.
He continued working away on the carousel. He had wrapped a rod around a ball and kept pushing on the rod with a claw. The kid was enjoying himself while the rod went on moving the ball around. He had a smile on his face. From time to time, he would get back to work.
"Need more help on that? Let me get more of it. I can do this more quickly."
"No, I need it to be finished by tomorrow. You have three more hours. Move more of it forward. You have plenty more of time."
"I have to go back inside. It's more of a family thing. It's more of a father thing.