Chasing the Sun

085

"Looks just like the place we used to go to when you were younger. If only my I have free time, I would want to stay here longer and go fishing again, just like the old days."

We walked out of the living room and into the garden at the back to continue talking as the room was suddenly too heavy for us to stay, so we sat on the wooden chairs on the garden instead. It was suddenly a cloudy day so the sun was hidden by the clouds. Our hairs were being blown by the strong breeze that came from the mountains, and the rustling of leaves were also audible at a distance.

"I didn't know you felt like that, Dad. I'm sorry.", I said, gathering all the courage I could get. I suddenly felt guilty of failing to understand my father's actions that it caused me to develop an unnecessary feeling of hate towards him.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, I made a mistake of not being true to you, and it's what drifted you apart from me."

For a while we remained silent, but it was different from the silence that happened just minutes ago. It was the kind of silence that needed no intervention from either of us, and it wasn't a strange feeling that didn't make me want to leave either. Somehow, the deafening silence was a therapy that healed a wound in my heart that's been aching for so long.  

"Do you want to meet him, Dad?", I asked my father.

I expected him to turn down the offer as he might still be feeling awkward for meeting my boyfriend, but the opposite happened.

"I was waiting for you to ask me that.", He replied in a smile.

We walked back to the house and inside the room, where New was peacefully lying down on the bed, awake. His mom was sitting right next to him holding his hand, her finger brushing gently on his hair.

At the sound of the knob twisting, New's attention was diverted to the door, and his eyes met with my father's. 

"Hi, New. I'm Tawan's father. It's nice to finally meet the boy who captured the heart of my son.", My father greeted New.

He smiled warmly in reply to my father's greeting and opted to sit up so he could talk to him, but he was too weak to even support his back.

"I'm sorry you had to meet me in this state, I'm usually cuter with the extra muscles."

Even in his weak state, New was still able to crack a joke that had us chuckling. 

"Thank you for loving my son, New. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for the love you gave him, but thank you for making my son smile again.", My father said as he reached for New's hand and put it on top of his, brushing it gently as he mouthed the words of of gratitude.

"It's a pleasure I'm forever grateful sir, I'll love your son until my last breath."

My father talked with New for a few minutes after he received a call notifying him of his flight. He had to leave, so he bid his farewell to New and his mom and I escorted him out of the house into his car.

"Take care Dad, let's bond together when you come home, okay?", I told my dad as he got inside his car.

"Sure, I'll be back on the day of Loy Krathong. Let's celebrate together, okay?"

An idea hit me when my father mentioned the lantern festival. It would be held in two weeks, and New really liked celebrating the festival because of the lanterns in the night sky. If he wouldn't be around by the time the festival is held, I would just bring the festival closer to him.

"Sure, Dad."

As my father's car took off and left the outskirts of town, I began planning a surprise for the boy I love the most, a lantern festival that the two of us would never forget.