Goodbye Father

by Reya Panchmatia (12 years old)

A soft, pleasant breeze floated through the garden where the children were playing amongst the creepers and strawberry plants. It was a peaceful afternoon, punctuated by laughter and shrieks from Leo’s grandchildren. The man himself was seated on the porch, watching over them fondly. He appeared to be simply enjoying the sight of the joyful children and the excellent weather, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

Just the previous night, he had received some pressing news that had left him tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep with something so heavy weighing on his mind. He remembered being seated at the dining table, his wife by his side.

Leo’s old man had died.

Leo had found out when his sister, Alice, looking harried and slightly panicked, came to visit out of nowhere the previous day. She had rushed over to tell him the ominous news.

He recalled what it had felt like to be told that. His hands had flown to his chest and his heart had skipped a beat. Time seemed to slow down, dragging on, and he was not sure whether or not he had heard her correctly.

She had also passed him an envelope. Drenched in sweat, the envelope had his name written in his father’s familiar, looping cursive on it. According to Alice, she had been asked to pass this envelope to Leo, just a few hours prior to his death.

The envelope was made of a thick, creamy white paper and had a wine-red wax seal on the back. It was surprisingly heavy in his hand, and had evidently been stuffed full.

It was now late into the night, hours after Alice had come and gone. It was pitch dark outside, the only light from flickering candles at windows, were like fallen stars. Leo sat at his polished oak desk facing the window, the envelope clutched tightly in his trembling hands.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he deftly slit the envelope open and unfolded the sheet of paper inside. As his eyes travelled over the handwritten words inside, his eyes widened. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he reread the written words to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

Leo, I have left all my money and possessions to you, and you are to do with them as you please.

Leo had grown up in a large family with seven siblings, and he had never been a particular favourite of his father’s. At least, this was what Leo felt. His father had always paid more attention to his other siblings, who excelled academically or showed particular talent in playing an instrument. They were showered with gifts and tokens, while Leo got their hand-me-downs and the meagre scraps they left behind.

So why was his father suddenly bestowing upon him more gold and valuables than he could possibly imagine? What was the reason behind his sudden change of heart? It was no secret that his late father’s wealth was immense, and this gift of riches would drastically change the way Leo was living. Leo was also by no means struggling to get by. He lived in a fairly large, comfortable house and ate three hearty meals a day. However, that was just a mere fraction of his father’s wealth.

Leo gripped the thick sheet of paper, which he had almost forgotten about, having been lost in thought. His eyes travelled downwards, and skimmed over the words of the letter.

My dear Leo,

it read,

this may be a bit of a shock, so sit down and ready yourself.

Leo straightened his back and cleared his throat. Pushing his glasses further away from his eyes, he read on.

I am not your father. Leo tightened his grip on the letter, the words echoing over and over again in his head. I am not your father. I am not your father. I am not your father.

He continued reading, trying to see if this was some sort of a hoax the old man had decided to play on him, though he did not think that was likely. His father -- possibly not his real father -- was not the type to joke around.

I am not your father, I am simply a caretaker that has been tasked with looking after you and your siblings. Your biological father, my closest friend, passed away shortly before your birth due to a severe illness. Shortly before his passing, he asked me to look after you, and said that all his money was to be given to you upon my death. instructed me to pass on everything to you upon my death, although he knew that mere riches would not be enough to make up for the absence of his love and comfort.

Your “siblings” were, in fact, not your real siblings -- they were actually my own children. Although you are not related by blood, you have spent many precious years of your lives together and I hope you continue to cherish your sweet memories.

Although I am not your biological father, I have spent many years with you, guiding you through the maze of your youth. I sincerely hope that my contributions were of value, and though the bond of blood does not connect us, I will miss you, Leo. I am sorry that I had to leave you so suddenly, my body is losing its life force by the day, it could not be helped. There is a good chance that within a few days of penning down this letter, I will cease to be alive. Goodbye, Leo. I wish you all the best in life. I will miss you dearly.

Glistening tears formed in Leo’s eyes, and one singular drop of water fell on the paper, making the ink bleed. The ink spread in the puddle, tinting it a deep, navy blue. Leo folded up the letter, not wanting to risk ruining his precious possession. He had almost forgotten about his newly-acquired riches, he barely even cared about them anymore.

His ‘father’, a guiding figure in his life whom he had shared the minutest details of his life with, was gone. Gone, just like that, in the blink of an eye. Memories of them stargazing together on the roof, eating together, even simply chatting flooded Leo’s mind. He would never be able to experience them again.

Leo gazed up at the velvety blue sky, freckled with stars, visible from his window. He remembered gazing at those same stars in the past, his father’s gentle hands guiding him and teaching him how to use the telescope. Swallowing thickly, he wiped away the remaining tears using a handkerchief and whispered, “Goodbye, Father. I’ll miss you too.”

The stars winked back down at him, as though assuring him that his message had been delivered.