Page 223 - James Caan - The Real Deal

21 · What Goes Around

‘Sure.’
‘This is really important to me. I really want you to support me
on this.’
‘OK. What is it?’
‘I want you to have supper with me every Sunday.’
‘OK.’
‘I mean every Sunday and I don’t want any excuses.’
‘And this is because . . .?’
‘Because you’re my son and I want to spend time with you, and
I want to know I’m going to see you every Sunday.’
‘OK. I’ll come.’
He was worried that now we all had our own lives he could be
living within a few miles of all his children but never see them. He
might as well be in Karachi as Chingford unless we visited him.
For the first couple of months, I turned up for supper every
Sunday without fail. And because I was popping over, a couple of
my brothers and sisters would usually turn up, too, and these
Sunday evenings turned into a bit of an event.
The time came when I had to take a trip to the States. It was
due to end on the Friday and I would have been home on the
Saturday in plenty of time for supper with my dad. However, I ran
into someone who was really worth having a meeting with, and
we arranged to have lunch on the following Monday. I changed
my flight and stayed the weekend.
I called my dad from the hotel: ‘Listen, I can’t make this Sunday,
but I’ll be there next week.’
‘Why can’t you make it?’
‘I’m in New York, Dad. I’ve got an important meeting on
Monday.’
‘Important, you say?’
‘Dad! I’m on the other side of the Atlantic, not the other side of
London.’
‘We had an agreement. You promised.’

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