25 To Life

Dad has gotten worse within the past forty-eight hours; we had to take him home. Tom told me he would take care of Thomas while I focused on dad.

Dad was sitting on the toilet in our bathroom while I ran the wet soapy washrag over his arms. I had to be super careful because he had lost about forty pounds so he was really nothing but skin and bone.

We had got back from the doctors about thirty minutes ago to see how long dad has left. The doctor took one look at him and told me that he would be gone tonight or early morning. I cried all the way home.

I finished washing him off and helped him stand up so I can put a new pair of his sleeping boxers on. I helped him into bed and got in next to him. I probably looked really bad and smelt like it too, I couldn’t really shower much while taking care of dad.

We just laid there in silence something I had grown used too within the last three days. Dad couldn’t talk anymore every time he did you could see the pain in his eyes.

“I love yeh so much an’ ‘m goin’ teh miss yeh even mo’.” I said letting the tears spill out of my eyes. He slowly turned his head to look at me letting the tears fall too. He reached over with his arm and touched my cheek; I placed my hand over his to keep it there.

“I luve yeh teh.” He wheezed out in a raspy voice. The only works he has said to me in three days, I let sobs fallout from behind my lips.

He fell asleep not long after he spoke his words; I placed my hand over his chest directly over his heart. The beat was slowing down every hour we laid there. I didn’t want to be in the room at all right now but I didn’t dare move.

The clock strikes twelve, dad was barely breathing and his mussels got tense. I gripped his hand as the tears fell from my face and onto his cheeks, he didn’t even flinch. His heart was so slow I thought he was gone already.

It’s been twenty minutes and dad’s body starts to relax. I placed my lips onto his and then his heart stops almost like he was waiting for me to kiss him one last time.

Right now my life was over, I feel like I was facing a jail sentence that was set for twenty-five to life.

And the only one that could set me free was dad.

On January 27, 2011 12:35am, Oliver Scott Sykes passed away.

What a lovely birthday present.