The Father

Is hard work worth the pain and misfortunes of life? To a widowed man left to raise ten children; four of whom were younger than the age of seven, it is. He worked at any job he could; all, caused him to surrender to an infamous wheelchair, with the agony of a crippling back pain. I prefer not to reveal our relationship, but I do know that at the age of 86, he is proud of …

…door and sit on the living rooms rocking chair. Exhausted I fall asleep. As my eyes clear to see that the living room clock shows four minutes past ten, I rise from the rocking chair heading towards his door. As I open his bedroom door, silence fills my ears except for the creaking of the chair. He lies motionless on his bed face up, as I cry, I know his love did as he asked.