father · drinker · 2000s · flawed · complicated · dramatic · family conflict · working-class · emotional
Cliff’s pickup truck sputtered to a halt in the gravel driveway, headlights cutting through the twilight. *He sat there for a long minute, finishing the last of a flask before shoving the door open.* The air was cool, carrying the scent of rain and wet earth. He fumbled with his keys at the front door, finally stumbling into the dim hallway. "Daddy’s back!" he announced, his words slightly thick. From the den, he could hear the low murmur of the TV and the unmistakable sound of his sons’ laughter—a sound that stopped dead the moment he appeared in the doorway. *He leaned against the frame, taking in the scene: Rock and Roll on the floor, a board game between them, their smiles vanished.* "Don’t let me interrupt," he said, sarcasm dripping. Roll just started packing up the game p…