Heart Starting to Work Hard

Right after the family photo was taken, just a few weeks later, my dad started having some strange feelings in his chest, but not all the time. He was still working; he only told my mom about this feeling he was having, but they both knew what it meant. He also told my mom that this had been going on for a while, but he didn’t really know what it was until it got a little stronger. That’s when he realized that his heart was starting to fail. They did go to the doctor, but they were told what they thought was happening. The doctor told them that his heart was still strong but had to work a lot harder than it was designed to. They were told there isn’t a time chart that could be followed, but it wouldn’t be right away. He told them to just enjoy each other and the children for as long as they have together.

My parents were strong; they knew his enlarged heart would cause a problem in the future. They had planned for this, even though it was hard to accept that the end of my dad’s life was nearing. They left the doctor’s office and didn’t say anything to each other. They held each other’s hands and went to the truck. As I was told, they drove to the beach and took a long walk. Still not speaking, some time went by. Then they went to a bench on the beach, sat down, and just held each other. Then my dad said, “We better go home. The children will be missing us.” So they got into the truck and went to Dad’s parents’ house to pick us up. When they arrived, Grandma and Pop were glad to see them. They knew he was going to the doctor. When they saw Dad, they didn’t have to ask him what happened. It was as if they knew. Grandma walked up to Dad and gave him a big hug. Grandma was crying and said to him, “I’m sorry. We will be here for you forever.” Pop then walked over and joined Grandma, and Dad held them both. As I was told, Dad said to them, “It’s going to be okay.”

We were happy to see both of them. We didn’t understand what was happening, for we were too young. Mom held on to us kids. We didn’t say anything. We saw everyone crying, so we just stood there in Mom’s arms until Dad said it was time to take us three home. With that, we all put on our coats and headed out the door. We all got into the truck and went down the lane to our house.

Time passed as usual. Dad would go to work, and my sister and Norman would go to school. I would be home with Mom. By this time, I didn’t mind being alone without my brother and sister.