He was recruited to join a team that would carry out interviews for a Father's day Magazine. During the course of the interviews, he met a lady with a quiet countenance sitting by the pool side in Chelsea Hotel with ear phones tucked into her ears and an ipad in hand. Waving his hand to get her attention he said; hi! I'm Charles from AY's magazine, I would like to ask a few questions if you don’t mind my interrupting anything that you are presently doing 'please go ahead Charles' she responded. I have just one question ma'am; If you could have one wish from your Father on Fathers day, what would it be?We are trying to compile a wish list for Dads to fulfill so they know exactly what their children want from them. Smiling wryly she lifted her face and said to Charles;I will give you more answers than you have asked for. My name is Michelle a very rich and beautiful young lady from Adamawa state, capable of doing things so good they will transform your life for the better. I will do anything you ask of me materially, if you can get my dad to grant me this one wish;Tell daddy to come back to life so I can have him forever, so i can tell him everyday how much I love him. Grave silence immediately fell at the pool side, Michelle began to cry and the tears just wouldnt stop because, the question Charles had asked her brought back memories of a father who loved her so much and spared nothing to make her life worthwhile but in return got nothing he deserved.
She said;Charles I did not treat my Father well, I did the opposite of everything he asked me to because I knew he loved me and would not lift a finger to hurt me. I always knew he was blessed because many others called him father and you know what they say; 'Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.” One day I hurt him so bad and that day I lost him but guess his final words to me? He said; "To be the father of a growing daughter like you is to understand something I could call 'terrible beauty'. Nothing I have done has ever made me so happy or so frightened but I learned a solid lesson which is the limitations of self and I realized that your heart is running around inside someone else's body. This is what makes me astonishingly calm even at the thought of death: I know whom I would die to protect and I also understand that nobody but a sad serf can possibly wish for a father who never goes away. I love you always Michelle, my heart beats in you".
Please Charles she said, tell my story and tell everyone that Fathers are special and are worth celebrating. Wish everyone who has got a father a happy father's day for me.
17th June, the world celebrates Fathers, individuals called by many names; Papa, Kuku, Daddy, Grandpa, Baba, Nnaanyi and many more. So many fathers live, and some have passed on to another life but, they are worth celebrating for the contributions they have made in our lives. Umberto Eco, Foucaults's Pendulum once said "I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us, we become formed by little scraps of their wisdom.”
Happy Father's day to every Father, You are worth celebrating and are greatly appreciated.
Chuka Chiezie
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