Father Leaves

The night was chill. The sky was full of clouds. High beneath a rock there sat the father and his loved daughter. She sobbed on his shoulder as he caressed her blonde curly hair. Sometimes life creates moments as if they are taken from a story and truly, this one was a moment that she was to remember for the rest of her life.

The cheeks of the daughter were wet and red. The air was becoming chiller and the wind stronger. They both felt cold. The father took a blanket from his bag and covered them both.

“Do you want to sleep?" he asked. She shook her head. “Daddy? Are you sure it's tonight?"

“Yes, sweetie, it's tonight”.

She cried.

The father tried to comfort her.

"When you were born, you were so small, I couldn't believe I could hold you in my hands. You came to this world with the same temper you have now as a grown-up. I was so in love with that small creature the moment I saw it. The midwife approached me and asked: “Do you want to cut it?”. She meant the umbilical cord.

“Yes.”

When your mother gave you life, but when I cut your umbilical cord, I gave you freedom. I was so happy with you. I was watching you growing, changing, maturing.

Then one day you said “I want to share my life with another man” and I nodded as you were happy. But that night I cried, I cried so much. How can I share you with others? I am your father, I wanted to take care of you for your whole life. Who can take care of you better than me? But you went and you were happy. The day you left home, two new rivers started flowing from the mountains that were my eyes.

That is the struggle of the father. To love you even when the heart is breaking, to think about you even when there aren't any more new memories.

When we heard the news that I would be leaving, you came to me crying. We both cried. But I couldn't do anything. My time has come. Let's live the rest together, we decided. Let's go and travel. When the time comes, I will catch the cloud and depart, and you will go on with the same love for your children I had for you. You are taken care of, that is why I will go in peace. So be happy when remembering me. Mention my name aloud, don't let the memory die. We can not do much about a dying body, but we can about a dying memory".

As he spoke this, the daughter was shaking her head in disagreement.

They stayed there, under the clear sky for some time.

When the weather started to be calmer, the clouds went away. The starry sky showed. From the distance, a white shiny cloud showed.

“I was so happy with your existence, I considered it a punishment. Your beauty haunted me and made me sleepless. My love for you was something that tore each organ in my body even just by seeing you. I will always love you.”

He leaned as he kissed and hugged her strong. When the cloud was above them, he stood up firmly.

“We prepared for this all this time. Let's do it."

She stood up. She reached to him as he was climbing on the cloud.

“You will always be my little one, froggy”.

The next moment a strong wind blew the cloud and took it far away from her. She was inconsolable. All memories came alive again.

All, but one. When he cut her umbilical cord and let her live her life freely.