is in good health? my doctor inquires, updating my family medical history. I don’t say: My father left us for another woman before I could walk. I don’t say: We stole food and shivered through winters while he bought new cars. I don’t say: He disappeared and when I located him years later, he wouldn’t listen to a cassette of my band until I could play drums like Phil Collins. I don’t say: I don’t know because to know we would have to talk and there would be decades of nothing to say. Yes, he’s in good health, I answer.
Jim Almo is a writer and musician living in New England. He is happiest listening to jazz and cooking meals with his wife. Twitter: @jimalmo