Grandpa's eyes fluttered closed, face now still like a shrunken wax facsimile.
I touched Dad's shoulder. "He's gone. Let's go."
He smiled, lips tight with hidden grief. "I need a few moments."
I swallowed. "I understand."
I walked out into the autumn air, wishing I'd hugged him instead of speaking.
Work has been very busy but I decided to have another crack at @jayna’s awesome fifty word story challenge again. This time the prompt was “goodbye.” Goodbyes are always tough. Sometimes they are harder than others. Sometimes they lead to a lifetime of regret.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.thinknzombie.com/a-proper-goodbye-50-word-story/
Ah yes. Regret. You only get that one chance to do something, and you never get that chance again. Well done.
Very touching story, @thinknzombie. You have beautifully captured how difficult it is to help someone in grief, and how hard it is to know what to do or say.
I really love this story. It's so touching and emotionally intense.
I think it's good that the father is resisting to leave. Usually we need more than a moment to say goodbye. A wake, for example. Silent hours in which there is nothing more important to do. Yes, a very beautiful and important insight that sometimes you just don't need to say anything and whether a hug or a handshake: they replace these words in a very speaking way. Also to say goodbye to the dead: We all learn.
When my father died, I was confronted with a dead man for the first time. I felt clumsy and insecure. When my mother died, I knew better how to say goodbye.
Grief is a strange beast indeed. It affects everyone differently and I guess there is no right way or wrong way to grieve. Although in these situations, a hug is always good for everyone.
Everyone needs a hug sometimes, especially at these low points, but there is no room for regrets. You only love once. Embrace it and always live in the now. Too often we look back or project forward and miss the here and now which is most important. It is the essence of life and in some ways it's all there is..
This post has been voted on from MSP3K courtesy of @isaria from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ).
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