Status: Short Story
Birthday Wishes
Sorrow
Richard's eyes opened and he found himself in his bedroom. The room was dimly lighted by the summer's hot sunlight peeking its way through the closed curtains. For a moment, Richard forgot about everything. He didn't remember what day or even month it was, and he couldn't recall anything about the events of the previous night.
Then he remembered, and he sprang out of bed and got dressed.
Dad had to be alright, he thought to himself. It was his tenth birthday today, and nothing could go wrong, especially not that wrong. They would go to the hospital to see Dad today and he would make some big joke about the whole thing.
Maybe he was home?
He made his way down the stars quietly, because he didn't know if anyone else was up yet. He approached the living room door, and slowly pushed it open, finding nothing there but his mother, sitting on the sofa, and staring up at him.
The television wasn't on. The radio was off. The only sound in the room was the ticking clock on the far wall.
"Richard," Began his mother. "Come in. Sit down."
Richard said nothing, but shoved the door shut behind him and made his way towards his mother, and sat on the sofa next to her. Confusion was beginning to take control of him. His mother took a few seconds to say anything, until her words spilled out like water spilling from a glass.
"Your father died last night."
She threw herself on him and pulled him tightly against her as she wept uncontrollably. She caressed his hair as she made the most horrible, and heartbreaking noises that a human being was capable of making.
Richard did nothing. He didn't cry. He didn't hug his mother back. He just sat there, not quite knowing what was happening. How could his father be dead if the sun had risen? If the birds were singing? If the post had been delivered? The news would still be broadcast that day with no mention of Richard's father, and the radio would still play music. People would still go to work, cars would still drive outside, shops and restaurants and theatres and bars would be open, and yet Richard was supposed to believe that his father had died? The world would continue to spin with no notice to this tragedy?
After his mother had finished weeping, she kissed Richard and left him for a moment. Where did she go? Is she going to wake up Sis? Richard didn't know what to do but just sit there, half-expecting his father to walk through the door and greet him with a huge smile on his face.
Richard heard someone coming down the stairs, and through for a second that it might be his father, but in came his grandmother instead, who must have stayed in the guest room last night he thought. She looked at him with a worried face for a moment, before sitting on a sofa opposite him. Richard's mother appeared at the doorway behind her.
"I hope your father's going to be okay..." Began his grandmother. His mother walked into her view and sat beside her, and repeated what she had told Richard.
What followed wasn't as much of a cry than a scream. Richard thought for a moment that his grandmother was having a heart attack, until she finally calmed herself, and gently wept instead, with her head in her hands.
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Richard didn't say much for the rest of the day. He spent most of his time pondering, and wondering what had really happened. He hardly felt sad at first, but cried later on in the day, although he didn't know why he was crying. His father was gone, and he wasn't here on his birthday. Richard felt guilty for feeling a little angry.
Mid-day, his mother presented him with his birthday gifts. She couldn't hold back a little tear as he opened them. She saved the gifts from his father till last, and as he finished opening them, Richard finally allowed himself to weep for his father. His mother hugged him and the mourned together, as his grandmother watched on with her arms around Richard's poor little sister, who understood less than Richard, what was happening.
"Your dad was on his way to pick up your birthday cake when the accident happened honey," Said his mother. "So I'm really sorry, but you don't have one yet but I'll buy you one soon."
Richard felt a little angry and embarrassed that his mother was worried about his birthday cake on a day like today, but he said nothing. His mother arrived back in the room with a much smaller cake; simply a cake one would eat for a snack. It was on a small plate, and she had placed a candle in it.
"Something for you to blow out until then." Said his mother.
Richard blew the candle out, and looked back at his father's gifts. He had just about everything he had asked for. He should have felt pleased, but instead, he didn't want them. As he had blown out his candle, he had tried to bargain. He wished that he could have his father back in place of his presents. Who was he bargaining with?
The instant that he blew the candle out however, he knew that it hadn't worked. His presents were still there and his father was still missing.
In the coming days, Richard would spend a lot of sleepless nights feeling nauseous. Sometimes he would go downstairs with his mother just for her company, which made him feel a little better. He would cry each and every night. Some nights he would feel intense anger, and he would punch his pillows, and he would kick items in his room. But it would always end in tears, and it would always accomplish nothing.
Mostly, he would only be confused. He tried to guess where his dad was, if he was watching him, and if he knew how he felt about him. He would feel his father's presence in every hour of every day, and would try to please him by looking after his mother and his sister. Some nights he would speak to his father, pleading with him to show himself, to speak to him, to communicate with him in any way, but it would never happen.
The one thing that would tear away at Richard most for the rest of his life wasn’t the fact that he would never see his father again, and it wasn't that he didn't know where his father was. Richard's only wish, was that he had had the chance to say goodbye to his father the last time he saw him.
Then he remembered, and he sprang out of bed and got dressed.
Dad had to be alright, he thought to himself. It was his tenth birthday today, and nothing could go wrong, especially not that wrong. They would go to the hospital to see Dad today and he would make some big joke about the whole thing.
Maybe he was home?
He made his way down the stars quietly, because he didn't know if anyone else was up yet. He approached the living room door, and slowly pushed it open, finding nothing there but his mother, sitting on the sofa, and staring up at him.
The television wasn't on. The radio was off. The only sound in the room was the ticking clock on the far wall.
"Richard," Began his mother. "Come in. Sit down."
Richard said nothing, but shoved the door shut behind him and made his way towards his mother, and sat on the sofa next to her. Confusion was beginning to take control of him. His mother took a few seconds to say anything, until her words spilled out like water spilling from a glass.
"Your father died last night."
She threw herself on him and pulled him tightly against her as she wept uncontrollably. She caressed his hair as she made the most horrible, and heartbreaking noises that a human being was capable of making.
Richard did nothing. He didn't cry. He didn't hug his mother back. He just sat there, not quite knowing what was happening. How could his father be dead if the sun had risen? If the birds were singing? If the post had been delivered? The news would still be broadcast that day with no mention of Richard's father, and the radio would still play music. People would still go to work, cars would still drive outside, shops and restaurants and theatres and bars would be open, and yet Richard was supposed to believe that his father had died? The world would continue to spin with no notice to this tragedy?
After his mother had finished weeping, she kissed Richard and left him for a moment. Where did she go? Is she going to wake up Sis? Richard didn't know what to do but just sit there, half-expecting his father to walk through the door and greet him with a huge smile on his face.
Richard heard someone coming down the stairs, and through for a second that it might be his father, but in came his grandmother instead, who must have stayed in the guest room last night he thought. She looked at him with a worried face for a moment, before sitting on a sofa opposite him. Richard's mother appeared at the doorway behind her.
"I hope your father's going to be okay..." Began his grandmother. His mother walked into her view and sat beside her, and repeated what she had told Richard.
What followed wasn't as much of a cry than a scream. Richard thought for a moment that his grandmother was having a heart attack, until she finally calmed herself, and gently wept instead, with her head in her hands.
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Richard didn't say much for the rest of the day. He spent most of his time pondering, and wondering what had really happened. He hardly felt sad at first, but cried later on in the day, although he didn't know why he was crying. His father was gone, and he wasn't here on his birthday. Richard felt guilty for feeling a little angry.
Mid-day, his mother presented him with his birthday gifts. She couldn't hold back a little tear as he opened them. She saved the gifts from his father till last, and as he finished opening them, Richard finally allowed himself to weep for his father. His mother hugged him and the mourned together, as his grandmother watched on with her arms around Richard's poor little sister, who understood less than Richard, what was happening.
"Your dad was on his way to pick up your birthday cake when the accident happened honey," Said his mother. "So I'm really sorry, but you don't have one yet but I'll buy you one soon."
Richard felt a little angry and embarrassed that his mother was worried about his birthday cake on a day like today, but he said nothing. His mother arrived back in the room with a much smaller cake; simply a cake one would eat for a snack. It was on a small plate, and she had placed a candle in it.
"Something for you to blow out until then." Said his mother.
Richard blew the candle out, and looked back at his father's gifts. He had just about everything he had asked for. He should have felt pleased, but instead, he didn't want them. As he had blown out his candle, he had tried to bargain. He wished that he could have his father back in place of his presents. Who was he bargaining with?
The instant that he blew the candle out however, he knew that it hadn't worked. His presents were still there and his father was still missing.
In the coming days, Richard would spend a lot of sleepless nights feeling nauseous. Sometimes he would go downstairs with his mother just for her company, which made him feel a little better. He would cry each and every night. Some nights he would feel intense anger, and he would punch his pillows, and he would kick items in his room. But it would always end in tears, and it would always accomplish nothing.
Mostly, he would only be confused. He tried to guess where his dad was, if he was watching him, and if he knew how he felt about him. He would feel his father's presence in every hour of every day, and would try to please him by looking after his mother and his sister. Some nights he would speak to his father, pleading with him to show himself, to speak to him, to communicate with him in any way, but it would never happen.
The one thing that would tear away at Richard most for the rest of his life wasn’t the fact that he would never see his father again, and it wasn't that he didn't know where his father was. Richard's only wish, was that he had had the chance to say goodbye to his father the last time he saw him.