That was a long time ago

“I could smell the beer in his breath as he stood above me, his fist wobbling towards my face. We had been trading punches, but I feared this might be the last one. I could see the life that was gone from his face, but I knew I was teetering on collapse and the next hair covered blow was seeking my cheek like a aged missile. Unsure, but potent.”
I was on the edge of my tattered chair. “How did you escape, Dad?”
“There was no escape. My body was tensing up and preparing for unconsciousness. That’s when I saw the bottle. It glistened in the light as it came down across his skull. If it hadn’t been for your mom taking pity on me, I would have been another casualty of war. As it was, I almost collapse from his weight as he fell on me.”
“Mom?,” I asked perplexed.
“Of course, I didn’t know her at that point. But she was… “
I pulled my chair closer to his bedside and replace his oxygen mask for a moment while I spoke. He had lived a life of heroes. He outlived his devils probably also his feats. I gently prodded, “I don’t understand. What was mom doing in Austria?”
He took a long, thoughtful drag on his oxygen, before exhaling. “She was…That was a long time ago.”
I could see every year and every bar fight and every explosion he lived through etched on my father’s face.
“More about this after I have some lunch,” he said as he looked for the nurse’s button.
“Dad, you just finished breakfast.”
He sat back, assessing his life and his unbussed plate. “Breakfast? Did I? That was a long time ago.”