Page 73 of Nash Falls

He sat down on a stool next to her. “He left me a letter that I read recently. It explained why he pushed me out of his life. And the factis, I did something really stupid, hell, even cruel, having to do with my mother. That was the cause of the estrangement.”

“I can’t believe that, Dad. You’re like the most sensitive person I know. You, well, sometimes you care too deeply. I know you love me and Mom even though sometimes you can be really aloof. But I think part of that was your relationship with your father. Or the lack of one. And you’ve always been so supportive of me.” She smiled and playfully punched him on the arm. “Even when I come up with stupid business proposals that I haven’t thought through.”

He shook his head, still feeling miserable despite her complimentary words. “I was fourteen when I did what I did, and it was because I wanted to impress a girl.”

“Fourteen! Dad, do you remember all the stupid things I did when I was that age? I know I did some things that drove you and Mom nuts. And I know that boys are even worse, by a lot.”

“But my father loved my mother more than anything. And he valued loyalty, having someone’s back, more than anything. I had a recent talk with Shock about it.”

“Who?”

“The man who dissed me at the funeral.”

“He was a jerk.”

“No, he was my father’s best friend. And Shock told me that if I ever needed anything that he would be there for me, because I was Ty Nash’s son.”

“Then why did he say those awful things at the church?”

“It’s complicated, Maggie. But life often is, especially when you’re dealing with people and their emotions. Anyway, before my father died he told Rosie Parker, the woman he was with at the end, that he loved me. And in the letter he told me the same thing. And that he was sorry he had cut me out of his life. That he regretted it. And he wished he could take it back.”

Tears formed in Nash’s eyes and he looked away from his daughter and covered up his vulnerability by taking a quick sip of coffee.

“And I feel regrets, too, about a lot of things. I feel like I wastedall those years when I could have been close to my father, if I had tried harder. Now it’s too late.”

She put a hand on his shoulder. “Dad, I think the important thing to remember is that at the end your father loved you. His last thought was about you, his son. You need to forget everything else and remember that.” She touched his chest. “Hold it right there, okay? Never let that go. It’ll get you through a lot. I know it does with me. I always feel like you and Mom are my rocks. That you’ll support me no matter what stupid stuff I do. And even when I act like a spoiled brat, I know how lucky I am. Not just for living in a place like this and having it pretty easy, but knowing that you guys really care about me. You work really hard, travel all over the world and while you missed some dance recitals and school plays, you always were there when I really needed you to be. That stuff counts. It really does. I will never forget that you did all that for me.”

He hugged her tightly and said, “I think maybe you’ve missed your vocation. Your influencer business might be tied to counseling and mental health.”

“Well, I’ve actually thought something similar.”

“Really?”

“You told me to find a need and then try and fill it. Well, so many of my friends are addicted to stuff online and it’s not just doomscrolling. There are so many online sites and chatrooms that put up impossible standards, of beauty and wealth and achievement and fitness and, well, everything. Sort of like you said before. No one can live up to that, and it’s really causing a lot of problems, especially with my generation. It’s like we all need an intervention.”

“You could be part of that intervention.”

“But I don’t have any special training or anything.”

“You have the funds to earn that training, if you want to. And then build something off that. Something that would actually help people.”

She smiled weakly. “No Taylor Swift concerts?”

“You can always go to Taylor Swift concerts, but they don’t haveto be how you earn your living. And if you want real satisfaction from what you do, then helping others is a great way to get that.” He paused. “Sounds sort of hypocritical coming from me, though. My job is just to make money for people who already have too much of it.”

“But you provide a great living for me and Mom.”

“But I’m not out there actually helping my fellow human beings who really need it.”

“You build successful businesses that employ lots of people and give them a good living. And their families.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And you can always do something else, if you want. You’re still a young guy. You can have a second, third, and fourth act in life.”

He smiled. “I think this might be the most meaningful conversation we’ve ever had. I wonder why.”

“I think both of us needed to get to the point where we could actually have it.”