I stood there in confusion until a neighbor saw me.
Her expression changed immediately.
“Oh, honey…”
Something was wrong.
She told me my father had been in a terrible car accident.
He had suffered severe injuries and needed multiple surgeries.
He had sold nearly everything he owned to pay the hospital bills and keep himself alive.
I couldn’t breathe.
I ran to the hospital.
When I finally saw him, I almost collapsed.
He looked nothing like the father I remembered.
His face was pale and thinner. Tubes surrounded him. Machines beeped beside his bed.
The man who had once worked four jobs to keep me fed now looked so fragile that I was terrified to touch him.
I fell beside his bed and began sobbing.
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
He slowly opened his eyes.
“I’m sorry I left.”
His fingers moved weakly toward mine.
“I’m sorry I chose Mom.”
