No Turning Back
/We settle down in the living room, coffee in hand. As I set down my cup, I put a hand on my son’s arm. He turns to me and thrusts out his chin; what?
“It’s not too late to get off the roller coaster you know,” I tell him.
He looks at me and frowns.
“I’m kidding,” I tell him, “we’re not getting off. We’re jumping from the docks and into the cold water.”
We both laugh. Did I detect a bit of concern in my son's voice? I smile and start the movie.
From the beginning, with the ominous soundtrack and claustrophobic atmosphere, we both stay silent. We usually talk during movies; questions here and there, or funny comments. Not tonight. We absorb it all: the violence, the silliness of the characters who just don’t run away when they really should. The movie ends and my son sighs. For some background on the movies we watched, see Jason Voorhees' timeline.
“Your parents let you watch this?” he asks.
“No. My brother and I would always sneak downstairs in the middle of the night.”
He smiles, “You guys would have killed me if I tried to pull that.”
“I think I would have joined you and made the popcorn.”
He admits that he enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, for an older movie. He loved the twist at the end. He wasn’t expecting that at all.
We refresh our coffees, grab a few snacks, and proceed to watch part two. I turn the lights low this time, a silent agreement to appreciate this to the fullest. We stay up way past our bedtime, discussing everything and nothing. The outside world ceases to exist for a while. That is, until my wife pops her head in the doorway, sleep creasing her features, asking us if we realized how late it was and that some people were trying to sleep.
We go quiet, apologize, put away our coffee cups and retire for the night.
I go to bed with overwhelming exhilaration. After tonight, my son and I share a stronger bond, one that I feel can only grow stronger.
Earlier, during dinner, I had spoken to my daughter about setting up a movie night. She agreed, especially after I told her what we would be watching.
Nancy and Freddy are coming over. They don’t get along much. They’re like an old couple, always fighting. You know they'll be together forever, if only in their dreams. In fact, he would burn everything to keep the dreams.
Here's a teaser.
Until next time, sleep while you can…
Stephane Moisan
Stephane Moisan is a student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. He has been happily married (to the same woman) for the past 25 years and is the father of two teenagers. He enjoys reading and writing, as well as spending time with his family.
