“I told the shrink that you kids would think I’m making excuses, and he said you can think whatever you want as long as I tell you the truth. I swear on my life I’m telling you the truth, and it’s something I’d never told anyone until I told him—even your mother has never heard any of this. She only knew that there was no love lost between me and my father. You were lucky you never knew him. The sadistic bastard died before you were born. One of the best days of my life was when he was hit by a car crossing the street. As far as I was concerned, he’d gotten exactly what was coming to him, but his rage… It was like he left it all to me. The first time I hit your mother was the day he died. I was wrong to do that. I knew it then. I know it now, but… It was like something would come over me, and I’d lose control of myself. The shrink… He’s helping me see how it’s all connected—what was done to me and what I did to all of you. I’m not making excuses. I swear that’s not what this is. I just… I wanted a chance to say I-I’m sorry for what I did, Owen, to you and the others. You all deserved better than me, and I won’t bother you anymore after this. I just… I wanted you to know. I’m sorry. Will you tell the others? Will you tell your mother?”

Owen couldn’t breathe, let alone speak. Tears flooded his eyes, blinding him. He’d never heard his father say so many words at one time, unless they were angry words.

“Owen, are you there?”

Clearing the huge lump from his throat, he said, “I’m here.”

“Will you tell them?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Two other things I want to say, and then I’ll let you go. The first is that if you’re ever so angry with your wife or your kids that you feel you could harm them, get help. Get help right away. If I’d done that, my life would’ve turned out so different. Tell your brothers I said that, okay? Tell them to get help if it happens to them.”

Owen took deep breaths as the tears continued to flow. “What’s the second thing?”

“No matter how it might’ve seemed, I loved you all. I loved you very much.”

Owen had absolutely nothing to say to that.

“Thank you for taking my call. I’ll sign the papers for your mother right away and get them back to the lawyer.”

“Dad…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Least I could do. You’ll tell your mother I said… Tell her I said to be happy. She’s certainly earned the right.”