way for twenty minutes, thirty minutes, forty minutes, shifting his weightfrom one leg to the other in rhythm with the words, letting his voice get gradually louder.
        Come home, Daddy! Come home, Daddy!
        He became lost in his frenzy, feeling close to his father like when he still lived at home. He raised his voice a few more decibels and then a few more. He was nearly shouting, then was shouting. Come home, Daddy! Come home, Daddy!
        He’d been yelling for several minutes when he was distracted by a ringing sound. He realized it was the telephone inside the house. His heart pounded. I did it! I reached him! He was sure his Daddy was calling to say he was coming home the way he used to. I did it!
        He yanked the front door open and raced to the desk in the entry hall. In the darkness, he fumbled for the receiver and pressed it to his face. He could hear crackling at the other end of the line. Breathlessly he spoke into the mouthpiece.
        “Hello? . . . . . Daddy?”