Fathers Tears

Tweet

Just a while ago my dad had a very painful stomach ache. He usually gets it when he eats eggs or drinks milk before bedtime. This was the first time I actually witnessed it. My dad barely talked and kind of reverted back to chil-like whining. He was sweating all over and I felt so bad for him, but the optimist that I am, I continued thinking that it'll go away. He wanted to go out and I placed him into a seat on the porch. I tried to massage his head and noticed how little we ever physically touch. He's not getting younger anymore at 77 and I remembered a reflexology spot in the hand where I started to press. He was feeling better and then he started talking about the daughter of his girlfriend who has leukemia. He said that he thinks she is dying already and not getting better. He talked about how sweet she is and how thoughtful and how she helps around the house with just 5 years. And I saw his eyes tearing up. This was one of the moments where you really see your parent more as another person with feelings than your parent who takes care of you. He was so sad about her and this is the first time I saw a kind of hopelessness in his face. It made me so sad. Do you guys have any experiences with your parents to share?