Dad Returned After 24 Years Bearing Sweets and Instant Coffee

I used to think stories like this only happened somewhere online, just the kind people read about but never live. But I found myself woven into one just the same.

I was six years old when my father disappeared from our lives without warning. One night he was there, and the next morning, he was gone. That left just me, my mother, and my two younger twin sisters all by ourselves. For a long time, Mum would defend him, telling me Dad was simply away on business. But even then, I knew she was covering for him. Eventually, when she couldnt keep up the charade, she sat me down and said, Your father isnt part of our family anymore.

My young mind couldnt grasp all the tangled threads of adult life. I was angry with my father and dreamed, like children do, that hed walk back through our front door. He never did. Life went onMum stayed with us, never seeking out another relationship. Things were certainly hard for her, but she seemed to have no choice. After all, who would want a divorced woman with three children in tow? Time rolled by. Now, Im married with children of my own, living in the countryside. We have a small farm and an apple orchard, still young but beginning to turn a profit.

A few months ago, my phone rang with a call from a man I didnt know. He told me we needed to speak urgentlysaid he was interested in buying apples in bulk. I agreed to meet, thinking nothing of it. We met in the orcharda balding, heavy-set man greeted me, his smile uncertain. He handed me a package. I opened it, surprised to find cheap sweets and a tin of instant coffee. He looked at me and said softly,

Im your father.

I was at a loss for words. All I managed was, Have you ever been in prison?
No.
Are you actually going to buy apples?
No.
Goodbye then.
Goodbye.

He left his bag on the bench. I hurried after him and handed back his cheap gifts. I couldnt fathom what he was hoping for. Later, I warned my sisters that Dad might come to see them. Sure enough, he showed up with the same bag in hand. How can a man return after twenty-four years with nothing more than a tin of coffee? Someone please tell me, how is that supposed to make things right?

Rate article
Dad Returned After 24 Years Bearing Sweets and Instant Coffee