him

I was gazing at him without his knowledge. And for the first time in twenty one years, I noticed how much he had aged. His thinning hair and wrinkle lines started to be even more evident under the direct reflection of the florescent light. A closer scrutiny revealed scars on his face, each accompanied with a heroic story I would never get tired of hearing over and over and over again. He was smiling broadly, and all of a sudden I felt a big lump in my throat. Tears were swimming in my eyes. I did not know why I was on the verge of tears for no reason. But I was quick enough to turn sideways and wipe them away. Taking a deep breath to ease things up a bit, I started laughing along with the rest.

Sometimes it takes a lot of guts to show or tell your dad about how you feel. Men are not meant to be susceptible to diplaying emotions, especially when it involves showing how grateful and warm to be raised by your dad. And despite how harsh you could be sometimes to your dad, your dad is always there to give you strong undying support. I am still gathering my courage, though. The moment I felt warmest was when I hugged my dad before I left for Singapore. And for a moment like this, I was on the brink of bursting into tears.