Close As Lovers

Twenty-Nine.

Song: You Can Let Go Now Daddy- Crystal Shawanda

Three months later...

I never realized how many memories a place could hold until I was back in the home that held every single ounce of my childhood. The night Wes proposed to me had been one of the happiest nights of my life. We spent the night in my old bedroom reminiscing as we looked through old albums I had stored under my bed, laughing at our little selves and talking about all the good memories we shared. As I watched him brush his finger over the last picture we had taken before we fell apart, I knew in my heart that he had always been the one I loved. And after everything we had been through together, I swore there weren't enough words in the world to describe how in love with him I was.

The next day, we returned to Daniel's house and shared the news of our engagement. The happiness that washed over Daniel's was a look that I hadn't seen since I was little, before he changed. As he congratulated Wes and I, a soft smile spread across my lips. I hadn't realized how much I had missed having my dad in my life.

Samantha was genuinely excited, and she started gushing about how she wanted to come to California with mom and I to dress shop. My siblings had many different reactions-- excitement, confusion, and my brothers stuck their tongues out as if they were disgusted by love. Either way, I was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time, and life was the best it could have been.

In the two months that followed, I spent most of my time with Daniel. He took on me on numerous trips, whether we went out to eat, saw a movie, or went shopping for the baby, and it was bittersweet for me. Most of what we did was what I yearned for as a child, but seeing how quickly his cancer progressed, I was grateful I was able to go with him then; not to mention, the joy and love that was on his face everywhere we went made up for the bad I had endured in my childhood. David had been a real father to me once we moved to California, and I love him like my real dad, but nothing was quite like spending time with your biological father. Daniel and I were finally developing a relationship I had prayed for.

A month before everything went downhill, Daniel took me out to lunch at one of our favorite places. He and I used to go there Saturday to eat and color, but today was different. We ate the same food we used to years ago, but instead of coloring or joking around, Daniel remained silent. His eyes weighed heavy with sadness, and seeing his expression filled me with worry.

"Molly, I need to talk about some things with you," His eyes finally met mine, and I took a sip of drink before nodding. Danil grabbed my hand and held it tightly as he mustered up a small smile. "You know I'm very sick. I probably don't have much time left, and it's breaking my heart thinking about all the years I spent away from you. You have always been the perfect daughter, sweetheart. I'm sorry I didn't treat you the way you deserved."

I sighed, returning the smile. "It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago. I'm just glad we got to spend more time together."

Daniel attempted to smile at me again, but his eyes filled with tears, and soon, they were streaming down his face. He used the hand that wasn't holding mine to cover his eyes as he tried not to sob, but one escaped his mouth, and a lump formed in my throat. I had never once seen my father cry. I tried to stay strong for his sake, but seeing him cry was too much for me. Tears cascaded down my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Molly. I should've been there sooner for you. I should've been a better father." He sobbed, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. When he finally calmed down, he looked me in the eyes and mustered up a sad smile. "But I need to tell you about the call I got from the doctors this morning."

I swallowed hard, gripping his hand tighter. "What did they say?"

"The cancer has spread throughout my entire body. I only have a month left, honey." His eyes grew again as he looked away from me. "There's nothing more they can do."