The Postscript: Asking for help

My dad doesn’t like asking for help.

He told me this recently when he asked if I could help him put out the dock. His knee was bothering him, and the dock was pulled up on shore at a steep incline. The dock frame was rolled into the water and then the boards of the dock were laid into place. It was a good job for two people and two sets of hands, especially since my dad’s knee is bothering him and he’s been legally blind for a number of years.

My dad doesn’t like asking for help, he told me. But lately he needs more of it than he used to. I know this embarrasses him. My dad is the kind of guy...