“I wanted to be in his place...” A daughter’s confession
They understood each other without words. They were together all the time. It seemed my father could not live without him. Wherever dad went, he was always there with him. They were really inseparable friends.
As soon as my father was next to him, his face was illuminated by some special light. They had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. They played together, worked together, and rested together.
Sometimes they took me with them. I remember how one evening my father was going to the store to shop and decided not to leave me at home alone. We went together.
It was dark outside; I saw the stars, heard unknown birds calling to me and even rural dogs were howling somewhere. A lot of questions were spinning in my head, but I still could not ask my father, because dad was busy with his friend all the way.
Every time I tried to catch my dad’s eye, he was looking at him, was preoccupied with him and looked the other way. I walked with dad, held his hand, but dad was not with me. I felt alone and I wanted to cry.
Dad was always affectionate with me, but I never had enough of his attention. He spent much more time with him. I often envied him and always wanted to take the same place in my dad’s heart as his best friend – the telephone ...
