It all started 3 years ago. My mother, who was 67 at the time, went out to meet some longtime friends for dinner. On her way home, a drunken driver crossed the median and smashed my mother's car in a head-on collision. Both he and my mother were killed instantly.
Our whole family was devastated but especially my father. He was beyond devastated. My father had always been a strong, resilient man but now he wept like a baby. We all did out best to console him because we could see however great our own personal sorrow was, his was almost beyond comprehension. After 47 years of marriage, he was alone and in a state of profound grief.
After a week, my brother and sisters went back to their respective homes. As my father and I lived only 20 minutes apart, I would visit him often. My husband and children were very accepting of this, understanding how deep his need was. My father and I would talk, shop, watch TV, play cards, anything to take his mind off his grief. Occasionally, I would also stay over, as he said the nights were the hardest and it helped having someone else in house.
One night, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was staying over, mainly due to a bad snowstorm. The evening was uneventful and around 11 or so we went to our respective bedrooms. It was always weird sleeping in my old bedroom, with some of the mementos from childhood still around. It had been 20 years since I moved out, fully half my life, but being in this room still made me feel like a little girl.
I changed into my nightwear and fell asleep fairly quickly. Around 1 A.M, I awoke and heard a strange sound. As I drifted back into awareness, I realized it was sobbing. I got up, found my slippers and robe and went out to discover the source. In the hall, I saw the light shining from underneath my parent's bedroom door. I slowly walked up to it and knocked softly on the door. "Dad?" I said in a soft voice. There was no answer but the sobbing continued.
I slowly opened the door. On the edge of the bed sat my father. He had on blue pajamas and was sitting there with his head in his hands, sobbing.
I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Dad," I again said softly.
"Oh, Beth, I miss her so. I do miss her so," he cried.