time of day, and I didn’t smell gas when I pulled onto the driveway. I entered through the kitchen door and immediately got the sense I wasn’t alone. My hand automatically went to my waist, where my service weapon would’ve been had I not quit the force. “Don’t shoot, old man.” The grinning voice came from the living room. “Joey?” I breathed, urgently pushing through the swing door. My son stood up from the sofa, handsome, smiling, and fighting back tears as we soaked each other in. I hadn’t seen him smile in over eight years, and I broke, right then on the spot. “Joey…”
