My working man

He says he’s doing okay. He say’s the 12 hour shifts and being away from home gets a little easier day by day. He says he’s doing okay… But he looks so tired. He say’s he’s doing okay, only getting 4-5 hours of sleep. He say’s he’s doing okay, but has nightmares every night when he closes his eyes. He say’s he’s okay. But why does he look so tired? I can tell this is hard for him. I can tell he misses home. I can tell he has no energy from living off of fast food alone. He has a friend there with him, one who knows him well. But I’m not there to take care of him, and I’m scared he’s enduring Hell.

I ask him, “Are you happy?”, he replies “I’m doing fine”. But why does that response not sit right in my mind.

I’m not worried, scared, or fearful about the distance dividing us. I’m terrified that he’s alone and suffering in silence.