When my father passed, I wanted someone to keep me company. My family lived far away, and I lived alone in a loft on the Lower East Side. I asked the woman I’d been dating if she would come over and stay the night, but she said no, she didn’t want to. I don’t remember if she gave a reason, but if she did, she didn’t sound sincere. So I sat at my homemade table in the large, empty space until it was time to go to bed. I missed the woman for sure, but I missed my father more.
Thaddeus Rutkowski is the author of eight books, most recently Safe Colors, a novel in fictions. He teaches at Medgar Evers College and Columbia University. www.thaddeusrutkowski.com Instagram & X: @thadrutkowski