We drove over to my dad's house today to give him the rent check (We rent my childhood home from him; he moved into another place a while after my mother died in '91). We pulled up to his driveway and his garage-door opened up and he walked outside. My husband walked up the driveway to give him the rent and I could see them talking about something....wasn't really able to hear as I was inside the air-conditioned car.
I noticed a new truck in my Dad's driveway...the license plate said 'Disabled Veteran'. Had he bought another used car? Does he have a visitor or possibly a new roommate? When my father walked down to our car to talk to me, I rolled the window down and was unprepared for what followed.
He began to break down...sobbing heavily. He said one of his best friends just died. He had been diagnosed with a spot on his lung 2 months ago and BAM....gone. The new vehicle belonged to this man, my father said. He purchased it off the widow, who was badly in need of money.
He could barely speak through his sobbing.....and I kept hugging and kissing him and telling him how sorry I was. It's really something to see your father break down. It's kind of like seeing Superman succumb to Kryptonite. All my life, he's always been the strong one, the unyielding one, the unaffected one.....the rock, so to speak. Lately, as his friends are passing one by one, he's been falling to bits in front of me.
I know he's feeling his mortality. He's already older than his father was when he passed away. My mother...the love of his life....was taken from him 18 years ago; then it was his own mother.....now, it's his friends. He's had more death than he should have to.
He begged me through his tears to make sure I get checked for cancer, as it's in my family so strongly. I assured him that I do get my annual checkups and to not worry. Cancer has taken everyone from him that mattered.
I've invited my father, as I've done on many occasions, to come over tomorrow and hang out with us and let me cook him a nice meal....maybe we can all watch a movie and forget about things for a little while. Hopefully, I can get Superman back to saving his little girl's world again.
