Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

entirely separate, and one should never interfere with the other." Boy, that was the truth. Jason had heard his dad make that statement, verbatim, a million times. "So I guess their conversation got pretty heated. Your dad was very emotional at the time, and it was completely understandable. But he said things that he couldn't take back. He told the guy exactly what he could do with the contract and where he could shove it."
    "Oh shit," Jason said.
    "Well, I wasn't too happy myself, not after having spent so much time."
    "Right," Jason said, nodding. He totally understood, and he also knew what his dad was like when he was under stress.
    "But I sucked it up and assured your father everything would be fine. We had a big trade show coming up the following week. It was only days after your mother's passing, and I suggested that he take some time off and let me handle it. I was sure I could find a buyer for the software… maybe with a few customized alterations.
    "Of course, your dad wouldn't hear of it. He insisted that he needed to work. It seemed to be how he grieved. He threw himself into his job."
    "Yeah, I remember," Jason said. He felt his eyes becoming moist. He didn't want to cry in front of this man.
    "Jason, are you all right?"
    He nodded, "Go on… please."
    "Well as luck would have it, there was another customer at the show who happened to be looking for a software similar to what we… or what I… had designed. Your dad was the one who made the initial contact and sales pitch. Well, then when your dad pulled up the software to do a demonstration, he didn't recognize anything. Of course he didn't, because it was entirely different than his original prototype. I'd had to change everything.
    "He was embarrassed, and frankly, pissed. But I stepped in and took over, walked the customer through a demonstration, and the customer loved it. Jason, the sale was in the bag. We had the fish on the hook and all we had to do was reel him in."
    "Let me guess, Dad freaked again?"
    Glenn slowly nodded. "Freaked isn't even the word for it. He went ballistic. It was ugly… really ugly."
    At this point, the tears were streaming down Jason's cheeks. "It was the grief," he said. "It had all come to a boiling point."
    "I know," Glenn said. He reached across the table and placed his hand atop Jason's. "Jase, I'm so sorry."
    "I just can't imagine his pain. He was lashing out because he didn't know how else to cope."
    "Yes," Glenn said. "But he went into a tirade, accusing me of sabotaging him. He said things that were… well, they were just awful. He said I was a backstabbing son of a bitch and a thief. He said I had betrayed him by stealing his prototype. Jason, I didn't even use his prototype. I scrapped it and started from scratch. Plus I hadn't stolen anything. The software program belonged to us—to both of us."
    "What happened with the customer?"
    "Oh it was a big ugly scene. We were asked to leave, and then we had it out again back at the office. Your dad told me he was buying me out, and I said fine. I was angry myself. At the time, I wanted to deck him, but I just kept reminding myself of his loss.
    "I took the buyout from your dad, but I still had the prospective client's business card. I contacted him, and he hired me. For three years I worked for his company and designed the software he'd originally requested. When your dad found out, he was even more furious and insisted that I had stolen from him."
    "But now… you don't work for this company anymore?"
    "I started my own company," Glenn said. "I'm really not a corporate person. I'm not much of a business person. I'm an IT guy."
    "Yeah? Me too."
    "Jason, I never meant to hurt your father, and I sure as hell didn't steal from him. I should have insisted he take some time off to focus on his family. I never should have allowed him to go to that trade show only days after your mom …"
    "You couldn't have stopped him," Jason said. "I know how he is. He's bullheaded and stubborn. Even my mom used to say that. She was the one person who knew how to calm him down when he was upset like that."
    "Jase, are you okay? I'm sorry this is so painful." The story had brought up a lot of memories. A lot of emotions Jason hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.
    "I'm okay," he said. "It's just… I was only fourteen at the time. I didn't understand anything. I didn't know why Dad wasn't there. I'd lost my mom, and it felt like…"
    "It felt like you'd lost them