My Father and home
Fathers play a vital role in every child’s life. I grew up without a father, and there were times when I wondered if things would have turned out differently if he had been present. But I am grateful to my mother for a job well done. She had been a strong pillar of strength to date. I think I’ve talked a lot about my father, and you can check here some of the things I have written about him. In today’s post, I tried to write a short story that got inspired by Taku’s story about a woman who left her spouse because they had drifted apart.
I found the story so relatable that I decided to write a story about absent fathers. It is about a father who returns home after a traumatic event that left him depressed and ultimately led to his suicide. All of this was due to his negligence toward his family.
Enjoy the read!
Also, check
(Goodbye by Takudzwanashe)
(Fathers, we need you.)
Short story: My Father and Home.
My father came home from work to find the house strangely silent.
Apart from me, he had two children who always greeted him with cries, demanding kisses, and warm hugs.
Soon after that, they’ll be licking their fingers as he would have bought them all the yummy, delectable candy from the candy shop. However, it was different on this particular afternoon!!
He looked fatigued as he unfastened his tie and set his laptop bag on the table.
“Sweetheart!” he called into the house, hopeful.
‘Daddy is back home, guys!!
No response!!
He called again, this time louder.
Still no response.
The silence in the house was the first thing that struck him; it was so strange.
He murmured to himself,”‘You guys should answer me now”‘
“This is no longer fun.”
He dashed upstairs to check all of the rooms, but the house was as still as a tin.
His headache was practically gone.
He dialed his wife’s number, but it went straight to voice mail.
He dialed his wife’s best friend.
She responded.
‘Hi Jane, Are you with my wife and children at your house?
“They’re not at home, and they’re not likely to be out this time unless they’re with me.”
No way!
“What! No way! They are not here!
Listen, something’s happened here. You may perhaps need to come to my house.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Jane rushed to my father’s house.
As she arrived, my father looked like he had been struck by a truck of cement.
He held a handwritten note from his wife with tears streaming down his face. Jane pulled the letter from his grip and read it carefully. She gave him a shoulder without saying anything. He wept like a baby who was crying for his candy.
“My wife left me! She took the children with her! “
“What have you done to her?” Jane inquired.
“I neglected her!
“She tested positive for breast cancer last week, and I never paid attention to her because I was constantly abroad on business trips, trying to provide a good life for her and the kids.”
I will never forgive myself for what I’ve done.!! “I’ll never forgive myself for what I did to her,” my father remarked, pointing to a photo of him, my stepmother, and my step-siblings on the wall.
“That’s my cue. I will check up on you later.” Jane left.
My father was left alone in a mansion that he once shared with his beautiful family. He went upstairs with a rope, climbed through the ceiling, and hanged himself. He had a hard time shaking the whole idea off. That was how his life ended.
I can only emphasize that we should never neglect our families, no matter how busy we may be. Life may get so hectic that we forget to look after ourselves, let alone our family.
Life may get so hectic that we forget to look after ourselves, let alone our family. Make an effort to spend time with your family.
Take a break and rest.
When you return to action, you will realize that you are more refreshed, restored, renewed, revived, and well-rested to work even harder.
Have you ever become so preoccupied with work that you forgot about your loved ones? During life’s chaos, how do you find time to spend with your loved ones?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments area.
From my heart to yours
Cheers!!!
Related Posts
About The Author
Lebogang Shazzygal
Blogger | Magazine Editor | Creative Writer | Online publisher | Digital content creator | Speaker. A young vibrant lady who's passionate about women's well-being and empowerment, youth, and physically challenged people.
A powerful read, a dynamite. Very close to home in modern society where our work consume us completely to a point where family life is threatened.
Absolutely agreed Leonard
We get so consumed by the hustles and the bustles that we neglect our loved ones. There’s nothing wrong with working hard for family, the problem becomes when we no longer give them time and quality time. That is why many children grow up angry towards their parents because they simply gave them luxuries but not their presence.
This is a story similar to mine but mine was preceeded by being an opharn on top as both parents died but fathers are key and here is the plan and heart of God!
Malachi 4:6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers
Ohh mate
So sorry to hear that. You’ve grown to be an incredible man and I know that all things worked together for your good. So glad your son is experiencing your presence as the father and gets to feel how it is to be raised by a present father, both parents at that. May you continue to be comforted
Oooh yes that’s my testimony God can heal and be a father to the fatherless.
The issues of fatherlessness are not impossible before God.
He is more than willing to heal those broken hearts and abandoned souls!
I totally agree with you mate.
So sorry for your loss mate🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank you God has already helped me now.
I am now a father to someone 😀😀😀😀
To a son who is behind blessed to have you as a father🙏🙏
Balance is everything, unfortunately some don’t realize until it’s too late. That’s why we should always communicate regularly how we’re feeling, and if there still is no change, well then at least you tried.
What I’m picking up is that communication is very important in every household. Because there will come a time where you are not happy about something, and you must be in a position to communicate that without feeling like you are burdening anyone in the family. Thank you for your inputs.
What if there’s a child who demands his or her parents’ attention but they might not be able to pick it up or realize that they should be vocal about it? What must they do in a situation like this??
Just curios for someone who does not know how to communicate such matters.
Hopefully from they are very young age we develop a good enough relationship with or kids so that we can spot when something is off or different even without them telling us. Still though if as a family you have always been in the habit of communicating it should come easier to express how you’re feeling. Of course this isn’t a perfect world so there will always be those that unfortunately get missed.
Ohh thank you for this. The habit of communication between family members is indeed necessary. Some conversations can never be addressed unless the communication is on a certain level.
So sad with a very powerful message. Well written.
Thank you sis❤❤
🥰❤
After realizing he neglected his wife, once more he neglects his daughter (the narrator). Do people who decide to take their lives ever think of their loved ones they are leaving behind?
Tell me about it.
I think they do think about them, probably whatever they’ll be dealing with it’s so much that death would be the only option than to live.
But I do sometimes think they are sinsldeed selfish. What about those they are leaving behind? It’s sad you know