A Belated Epiphany

1

Father’s point of view

One ordinary day, while having dinner, a sudden realization struck him: he hadn’t taken a proper look at his only son’s face for years.

In fact, he couldn’t remember when the last time he actually noticed his son’s face was. That wasn’t all. He couldn't even remember the last time he spoke to his son with affection and love. He used to order the boy around and said harsh words to him when he was just a child.

An incident came to his mind. He once slapped his son for bringing one of his friends home. Growing up, the boy grew distant from him. He wondered if they ever talked about anything personal.

His son, who lost his mother when he was still a minor, needed love and affection more than anything else. And what did he do as the father? The exact opposite. He made his child feel unloved. He was a cruel, heartless father, moreover he wanted his son to turn out to be like him.

But his son was different, his mother’s gene was dominant in him.

Was he always like that, cold and indifferent of other people’s feelings? No. Once upon a time, he was also a man full of feelings. That was, before he exchanged his life for career.

That day, he felt he failed as a father. Did his son hate him for that? He never tried to find out.

He thought, he should talk to his son today. It wouldn’t be easy at all. His love for others had dried up long before.

He called out his son’s name, who lifted his face in shock.

"How are you?"

His son was surprised and uncomfortable because he couldn't find the reason behind his father's sudden question. "I'm fine," he said, but he couldn't manage to say what people usually said next, "What about you?"

Though his son said he was fine, it didn't seem to be the case. He looked pale and skinny, as if he were suffering from a serious illness. Why? He couldn't even ask that.

Once he returned to his room after finishing dinner, he thought about his family and his life. He was neither a good father nor a good husband. His wife was able to hold the family together solely for the sake of their son.

He thought making money was more important than making time for his family, he was trying to give them a better life after all. He thought strictness was a must to discipline his child, but he missed the fact that harshness does more harm than good. He thought it was okay to take out his anger on his family, he was just tired working all day after all.

He was terribly wrong.

It was too late to make things right now, but he could at least try to behave normally with his son from now on, he thought. Maybe he could even try to apologize, but he didn't know whether he should be forgiven.

He went to his son’s room. The room was dark. It took him a while to realize that his son was there, sleeping.

He thought of approaching him but stopped, afraid of waking the boy up.

Son’s point of view

He was looking at his reflection on the bathroom mirror.

He didn't have much time left to live.

He felt sad for himself. He felt sad for his father, who had given him almost nothing but misery through his whole life. As a child, he hated his father. As he grew up, his attitude changed. He started treating his father like a mentally sick person and distanced himself. He couldn’t express it, but he felt affection towards that cold hearted man. However cold-hearted his father might be, they were still each other’s only family. That was why he always went home on vacations.

He wondered how his father would react when he would die. Would he react at all?

2.

A month later.

The father and the son looked into each other’s eyes for the first time in many years, without any hesitation or discomfort. They didn't exchange a single word, but their eyes told everything they wanted to express.

The son had never seen of his father this way before, but he knew that this was his father’s true self. He smiled.

The father couldn't remember when the last time he smiled was. He forgot how beautiful human smile could be. He approached the his son and took his hands. His eyes are no longer cold and emotionless. Now they were full of love, and pain.

That day, they realized how much they meant to each other.

His son’s smile gradually disappeared as he fell into eternal sleep.

* * *

As he entered his home, he caught the sight of his son’s empty room. Tears streamed down his face.

He didn't cry when his wife passed away. But on that day of his son’s passing, he cried his heart out. He mourned for the ones whom he didn’t value when they were around.

Everyone thought he was a successful person but he knew that his life was empty. His son's life was short-lived but meaningful. He was the one who truly lived his life.

He looked around the room. His son was gone, but his belongings kept his memories alive. Even if he was not there, his essence remained everywhere.

That boy left something behind. Love.

If he could get another chance to start a new life, he would live a life like his son and his wife. A normal life. Although, it was too late for that. Not everyone gets a second chance and he was one of them.

He would just spend the rest of his life with the memory of those who left. Although grief was painful, it was a human feeling.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life like a human.