The Inexorable Change!

"Be ready! We'll be going out for lunch today, I'll be back in half an hour." My Dad shouted as he shut his door on his egress. A quiver of excitement mixed with anxiety stopped me in my tracks as I headed towards the kitchen. "That's surprising," I whispered to myself. It had been over a year since my Mom passed away and my dad had been struggling to meet deadlines for payments whilst constantly being fired from his jobs due to lack of concentration. My Mom's death took a heavy toll on him, it was as though her death sucked the life out of him. Now he was only living for him, cramped up in a vest-pocket sized house with a single room. kitchen and a bathroom, yet he battled the officials that came once or twice a month to propose a better home for me. He was my hero and I only needed him in my life!

I frantically pulled on a sweatshirt and primped my hair as the minute ticked by. Honk! I heard a car honk outside my house. I ran towards the hazy windows, pulling the fraying curtain across and my Dad sat in a taxi signaling me to lock the door and come out. I pulled the door shut and deftly locked it but on my way towards the car I was constantly thinking about how long it had been since I sat in a car. What could be the occasion? It definitely wasn't my birthday. My Dad shoved to the side and I squeezed in, excitedly asking, "Dad, what's the good news? Have you gotten a new job?" My eyes glistened with joy and my lips turned to a wide grin. MY Dad's eyes revealed a bittersweet emotion. he looked happy sad, with a flimsy layers of tears but lit with fake joy. "No, son, I just wanted to spend some time with you," he calmly said.

We pulled over by the ice cream truck and my Dad without questioning, bought the best flavor he offered, which was also my favorite. He didn't seem a bit concerned as he pulled out from the little that remained in his tattered wallet. He got back into the car and tightly held my hand and reminded me of all the beautiful memories we had after my Mom had passed away. His eyes became even more rheumy. I was now savoring the ice cream with a dry throat as the emotions overwhelmed me. I was wondering why he was talking about all this now, it was almost as if he was going to leave me forever but I shook that thought out of my head.

I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't realize we had passed our home already! The taxi was moving on but my Dad said nothing as I screamed, and pointed repeatedly at our humble abode. He wouldn't even look at me. A couple of minutes passed and we pulled over by a house, in front of which our house was just a minuscule, much bigger than ours and far more opulent. A couple stood there smiling at the doorway, neatly clad in pristine white clothes and grinning from ear to ear. My dad opened the door and pulled me along, speeding up his pace as he approached the entrance. A formal greeting was shared and the woman bent down, her gentle palms stroked my tired face, "What a lovely child," she exclaimed, "even better than how he looked in the picture." With those words, my heart clenched and I darted a glance at my Dad who's eyes welled with tears. Through his cracked voice I was able to decipher a few words, "This is ... your new home." He let go of my hand lifelessly by my side. I couldn't say a word as the tears in my eyes blurred the vision -my throat dry like the cemented walkway we had trotted past. My Dad gave me a final look, placed his hand on my head, rubbed it and briskly walked to the taxi. He shut the door and in a second he was gone. I was frozen as the emotions chained me down and I knew things would different from now on.