The work stories seeped into their home. Vance talked about the wrong crowd, slippery slopes, and bad endings. Adam heard judgment, not concern. “You only see people at their worst,” Adam said. “You forget that some of us can’t find a proper job in this economy. I’m just doing whatever to help out with the finances.”
They had repetitions of the same conversation in different words for months. Vance tried to broach the subject indirectly. Adam shrugged them off. Some nights ended in slammed doors, and others in silence. Neither knew how to step out of their assigned roles—cop and suspect, not father and son.