Norman knew what he had to do when the doctor informed him of his father’s condition. In the busy hospital, he sank back onto the chair and shook his head as tears formed in his eyes. This was something he had no control over and he hated it. He always had control over situations. “I am sorry for your loss,” the doctor offered his condolence, and a younger doctor offered to take him to visit his father. “No,” Norman objected.
“I..I..I…will come back in an hour or so.” He stood up from his seat immediately as if electric was sent through his body. Leaving the young doctor and exiting the hospital, Norman started running. It was still bright outside, and he knew just the place to go.
He had to do something rather than just feeling sad. He wasn’t the sort of person who grieved. “I need to do this for my dad,” Norman reminded himself. “He had done so much for me and I can’t let him down. This is my only chance. My last chance.”
Norman was raised by his father, after his mother abandoned them. Norman had a normal childhood as his father worked a lot to put food on the table. He was self-employed, who did different jobs depending on the customers’ needs. Sometimes, he was a mechanic, sometimes he was an electrician, but to Norman, his father was his best friend especially when they took the trip to the outskirts of town to hike and to spend some father-son time.
But as Norman grew older, that father-son bond was broken especially when Norman started mixing with the wrong crowd. His father disciplined him, but it didn’t help. Often his father advised him to focus on his dream of being a lawyer instead of spending time with those boys at home. When his father stopped Norman’s friends from visiting him at the house, Norman rebelled by packing his bags and threatened to leave.
“If you think your no good friends are important than me, you can leave,” his father challenged him when he saw Norman packing his bags. “I am a teenager and I need friends,” Norman said. “Not with those boys. I’ve told you before that they are the reason your grades are slipping. Everyone in this neighbourhood knows, what they are up to.”
“You are so stupid to fall for their lies. They are my friends,” Norman opened the door and slammed it shut. That night, Norman spent the night out with his friends. They drove around town and vandalised private properties and slashed tyres of unattended vehicles. Norman had his first taste of alcohol while they stayed in an abandoned house.
They finally went to sleep when the sun came up and they skipped school. Norman knew it was wrong, but he wanted to be with his friends. Days turned into weeks, and the next time he saw his father, Norman was at the police station.
“I’m sorry, dad,” Norman apologised immediately when his father walked towards him. “You were right.” “You fool! Of course I am right. Are you finish with your foolishness?” his father scolded.
“Yes,” Norman lowered his head. Norman stayed out of trouble for a couple of weeks until he was busted for taking drugs at a party. It looked as if his grades were improving, but as soon as those boys showed up, Norman became a different person. Since then, Norman was in and out of prison.
For the past three decades, he was locked up for killing a woman when he robbed her to support his addiction. When he gained his freedom, he wanted to redeem himself and make it right with his father, only to find out he was ill. “Make your days count.
You’ve wasted so many years of your life, Norman. Do something good, son. Life is short,” Norman replayed his father’s words when he stood in front of a suit and tie shop. In a minute or so, Norman walked into that shop and found the suitable suit for his father. Without paying for it, he ran out of the shop and left the breathless salesman from chasing him.
When he went back to the hospital, he went to the morgue and dressed his father in that black suit and a red and black tie.
“I’m sorry for being a disappointment. I should’ve listened,” Norman whispered when he tied his father’s tie. He looked as if he was sleeping and he looked peaceful. “I wish I could turn back time and be a better son.” Not having many family members, Norman buried his father the next day. After saying his final goodbye, he turned around to see the policemen walking towards him.
Voluntarily, he turned himself in for stealing the suit and tie. “You just gained your freedom four days ago. Why did you steal just to go back to prison?” the policeman asked in the car. “I was never a good son. I disappointed my old man.
The least I can do is steal, so he can wear a new suit and tie.” “Is it really worth it?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because he is meeting God,” Norman answered as he looked up the cloudy sky. Carina Lim bears different messages through her fiction. These messages could be useful in life. She can be contacted at mermaidgal03@yahoo.com
