Hero by Leslie Barnard
Dan woke to light cutting his eyes, his father standing in the doorway, expectant, smiling.
“You ready?”
Dan knew his dad had been awake since before dawn. By now he’d made two ham sandwiches, one with mayonnaise, one without. He’d sharpened the harvesting blades and packed the gear in the truck.
“I ain’t going,” Dan said, rolling onto his stomach.
Dan’s dad pulled the covers off. Chilled, the skin on the back of Dan’s legs tightened.
“Come on, now,” his dad said. “Rise and Shine.”
Dan glared through puffy lids. “Don’t you get it?” he snapped. “I ain’t interested.” As he turned to yank the covers back over his body, he caught a glimpse of his father’s chubby face, slack as a dog’s. Facing the wall again, he could feel his dad standing there a long moment before turning the lights off and shutting the door
