My Dad’s final wish was that I play a video for everyone at his funeral. I was ready to fulfill it until I saw what he left behind. Torn between honoring his memory and protecting our family from a painful truth, I made the hardest choice of my life.
I’m shaking as I write this, my skin burning from endless crying. Who can I turn to? The guilt is crushing me. Dad, if you’re watching from above, please forgive me. I’m Peter, and this secret, this choice, it’s eating me alive. This is the story that will haunt me until my dying breath.
A man in a cemetery | Source: Pexels
Cancer. One word of a diagnosis that tore my world apart.
My Dad Barney was all I had ever since I clutched onto his little finger at Mom’s funeral when I was five. Dad had been my pillar every step of the way.
At 75, he was such a strong man until his cancer diagnosis. It was like they dropped a bomb in our lives.
An older man looking out the window | Source: Pexels
I stared at the calendar on my kitchen wall, each day marked off with a shaky red X. Counting down the days until… I couldn’t even finish the thought.
My wife Lara walked in, concern etched on her face. “Peter? You okay, honey?”
I wiped my eyes quickly, but my voice still cracked. “Yeah, just thinking about Dad. It’s hitting me hard today.”
A sad man in a room | Source: Pexels
She wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, Peter. I know it’s tough. Your Dad is such an amazing man. Remember when he taught Damien how to ride a bike? The way his eyes lit up with pride.”
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. “He was always there for us, wasn’t he? God, Lara, I don’t know how to do this. How to say goodbye.”
My mind was already drifting back to that day in the hospital room when I met Dad.
