I lingered in my parents' room, searching for some charger, attempting to fit the end of a cord to the wrong phone and the wrong phone to the end of a wrong cord.
I heard voices. I heard my dad's voice aloud.
I heard him say, "I didn't even recognize you!"
Only then I paid mind.
My head shot up.
My legs took miles as steps until he was right in front of me in my living room.
I didn't say anything for the longest seconds, if not the longest minutes. But he stood there. Like I always said he fit just right being there. Smiling his teethless smile, arms behind his back, wrapped around his uniform.
His face rounder. His skin tone darker. His eyes red from the lack of.. what I assumed..sleep.
All I remember is I felt my face stretch the biggest smile I've ever smiled in what seems like forever. Which in reality is probably only 3 months. But god these 3 months...
We didn't say much. Just the casual catch-up. He said in his ten days here, we'll have some time for a real catch up.
But as he walked to the front door, hugged him as I do, saying our for-now-goodbyes, I was washed over by inexplicable happiness. I looked out, and his car was parked there. I smiled again. He topped himself with his hat. I smiled again. I closed the door, locked it tight, and then I smiled.
I sat on my couch. Pensive. For those several minutes, I tried wrapping my head around what I was feeling. I felt as if no worries could touch me. No anxieties can break me down. I kept saying...that I was so so so so incredibly happy.
But better yet, as I slipped a little more into the night,
I realize that... I felt complete again.
For these ten days, I finally... feel complete again.
I heard voices. I heard my dad's voice aloud.
I heard him say, "I didn't even recognize you!"
Only then I paid mind.
My head shot up.
My legs took miles as steps until he was right in front of me in my living room.
I didn't say anything for the longest seconds, if not the longest minutes. But he stood there. Like I always said he fit just right being there. Smiling his teethless smile, arms behind his back, wrapped around his uniform.
His face rounder. His skin tone darker. His eyes red from the lack of.. what I assumed..sleep.
All I remember is I felt my face stretch the biggest smile I've ever smiled in what seems like forever. Which in reality is probably only 3 months. But god these 3 months...
We didn't say much. Just the casual catch-up. He said in his ten days here, we'll have some time for a real catch up.
But as he walked to the front door, hugged him as I do, saying our for-now-goodbyes, I was washed over by inexplicable happiness. I looked out, and his car was parked there. I smiled again. He topped himself with his hat. I smiled again. I closed the door, locked it tight, and then I smiled.
I sat on my couch. Pensive. For those several minutes, I tried wrapping my head around what I was feeling. I felt as if no worries could touch me. No anxieties can break me down. I kept saying...that I was so so so so incredibly happy.
But better yet, as I slipped a little more into the night,
I realize that... I felt complete again.
For these ten days, I finally... feel complete again.
