{"id":141,"date":"2025-02-13T11:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=141"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:54:08","slug":"141","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=141","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
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It doesn\u2019t leave you all at once. It lingers in the spaces between moments, in the hollow quiet of a house that used to be full and colorful. And it lingers in the instinct to call someone who isn\u2019t there anymore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For me, grief lived in my phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"An<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

An upset young woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It lived in that little device that used to bring me joy, but now it just brought me pain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When my mom died, I was eleven, and Dad became my entire world. He was the kind of man who showed love in small and steady ways. In quiet ways, like pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse, in gas station slushies after a long day, and in the quiet sanctuary of our Sunday morning fishing trips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He also showed love in loud ways, like when he invited all my friends over for a pool party on my mother\u2019s death anniversary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A cute pancake on a plate | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cDad, you don\u2019t have to do this,\u201d I said, watching him make burger patties from scratch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI do, Lo,\u201d he said, using my nickname. He always thought \u2018Lauren\u2019 was too mature for me and that I\u2019d grow into my name when I was older.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI need it as much as you do, love,\u201d he said, adding a good amount of black pepper to the minced meat. \u201cSometimes we get too sad on this day, and Mom was anything but a sad woman. She made the sun shine, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Homemade<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Homemade burger patties | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She did. Of course, she did. She was the sun itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo,\u201d my dad continued, \u201cwe have to live like the sun is shining just for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After that, we chose to live, and we tried not to let the grief weigh us down too much. But we did allow the grief to be felt during those fishing trips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOut here, kiddo,\u201d he\u2019d always say, reeling in his line, \u201cit\u2019s just us and the fish. There\u2019s no worries, no outside world, just you and me and the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Even now, I could still hear his voice, crisp and warm, like the way the sun used to rise over the dock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And then, just over a year ago, a stroke took him from me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A man in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was sudden. Cruel. Unfair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One day, I went to the dock where we used to fish, and I sat down on the grass. I couldn\u2019t understand how I had gotten here. I was an orphan. I wanted my parents more than anything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I sat there for a while, eating a slice of apple pie, which had been part of our fishing routine as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting on a dock | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It was in that moment, in that silence\u2026 that I started texting my father\u2019s number.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It was just like I used to call him on my way home from school. Just like I used to when I needed advice or when I just missed hearing his bad dad jokes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You wouldn\u2019t believe how bad my roommate\u2019s cooking is. She set fire to spaghetti last night. I mean, really!<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I got my first B in college, Dad. I know, I know, you\u2019d say, \u2018B for better next time,\u2019 right? I really miss your corny jokes.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting on a dock and typing | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Some guy tried to mansplain fishing to me today when I got to our spot. I showed him that picture of us with that big bass from \u201916. You should have seen his face. It was priceless.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It was stupid. The entire thing made me feel stupid. I was here, texting a man whose number was disconnected from the man who once held it. But it made me feel like he was still there. Like maybe, if I spoke into the void, some part of him could hear me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And then, on the anniversary of his death, while I sat in the clinic\u2019s waiting room, I sent three messages that I never expected to be answered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A young woman sitting in a waiting room | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dad, I miss you so much.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A year has passed since you died, and I still can\u2019t stop writing to you.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I know it sounds crazy, but it feels like you\u2019re still listening to me.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My heart ached, and I wanted to cry for hours. Where was the joy? When was the world going to be brighter again? When would this pain end?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A moment passed. A long, suffocating moment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting in a waiting room and typing | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And then my phone beeped, almost sending me flying off the chair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You\u2019re not crazy.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I think I stopped breathing. My stomach twisted in a way that was neither fear nor hope but some strange, impossible mixture of both. My heart pounded in my ears.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I almost threw up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dad???<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A shocked young woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Just then, the nurse called my name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLauren! Come on, sweetie, it\u2019s your turn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I jumped up, nearly dropping my phone, my pulse roaring in my chest. The clinic smelled like antiseptic and too clean hallways as I followed her inside. I barely registered the doctor when he entered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLauren,\u201d he said, smiling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling nurse | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He was middle-aged, with kind eyes and a warm smile. I nodded numbly as he ran through my routine check-up, my head spinning. My body felt like it was floating, and I didn\u2019t know if I had hallucinated the entire thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How could my father reply to a text message? Was Heaven doing that these days? Had I just witnessed a miracle? Had Dad somehow, impossibly, reached back to me?<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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No way. I was losing my mind. That had to be it. The grief seemed to have taken over everything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling doctor | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The doctor excused himself to grab some equipment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSorry, Lauren,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure why the nurse didn\u2019t bring the machines in. Give me a second, I need to check your blood pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Alone, my fingers hovered over the phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I had to know.\u00a0I just had to.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dad, are you alive??<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A blood pressure machine | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A soft\u00a0ding<\/i>\u00a0echoed in the room. I looked up and saw the doctor\u2019s phone lit up on his desk. It couldn\u2019t have been a coincidence, right?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cJust go sneak-peek it, Lauren,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And there it was! My message was on his screen. The world seemed to spin, and my stomach jumped around my body.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I sent a string of random emojis to my father\u2019s number. Seconds later, they flashed across the doctor\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A phone on a desk | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I bolted out of the clinic as fast as I could.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tearing down the hallway, my breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. The walls blurred as panic clawed at my throat. Who was he? Was he not a doctor? Was he a stalker? Or someone playing a sick joke? Had this man been watching me all this time?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Outside, I braced my hands on my knees as I leaned against the wall for support. I tried to steady myself, but the nausea continued to rise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A shocked woman leaning against a wall | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Hours later, when I was back at my apartment, holding onto my bed for dear life, my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I nearly ignored it, but then\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019m so sorry I didn\u2019t answer earlier. I was at work. Listen, I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m not your father. I got this number recently, and I guess it was your father\u2019s before. I\u2019m so sorry for your loss.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I read your messages, all of them. At first, I didn\u2019t know what to do. But then, I started looking forward to them. You reminded me that I wasn\u2019t alone, either. I lost my daughter four years ago. Natalie. She used to text her mother and me about everything when she was at college too.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A young woman sitting on her bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I didn\u2019t mean to scare you or hurt you. I just wanted you to know that you\u2019re not crazy. And you\u2019re not alone. And that your father has a loving and kind daughter with a beautiful soul. But I can see your pain.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you ever need anything, anytime, reach out to me.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My vision blurred. A knot I didn\u2019t know I had in my chest loosened. This man hadn\u2019t been trying to hurt me. It was honestly just a coincidence. I decided to reply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You scared me. Oh my goodness.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I know! I\u2019m sorry! I had a patient, and I couldn\u2019t use my phone.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yeah, I know,<\/i>\u00a0I texted.\u00a0Her name was Lauren, and you were about to check her blood pressure.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There was silence. No three dots indicating that he was replying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How do you know that? Now I\u2019m feeling uncomfortable!<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I actually laughed to myself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting on her bed with a small smile | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Because it was me. I ran out because I saw my messages pop up on your phone. It scared me, and I panicked.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There was another pause. And then my phone rang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His voice was steady but filled with something raw and unfiltered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI never meant for you to find out this way,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think fate had a different plan. I wasn\u2019t sure if I wanted you to find out in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And suddenly, we were talking. About my dad, about his daughter, and about grief. We spoke about loss and the strange ways that the universe seemed to bring people together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By the end of the call, I felt lighter. Like a part of my burden had been shared with someone who knew loss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cUm, Lauren,\u201d he said. \u201cYou should probably come back in for us to finish your check-up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling man talking on a phone | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I laughed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI will,\u201d I agreed. \u201cThank you, Henry, for letting me talk about my father. On the phone now, and through all of those texts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAnytime, kiddo,\u201d he chuckled softly. \u201cBut I do need to know how your roommate set fire to spaghetti. That was one of the best texts I\u2019ve ever gotten.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We arranged to meet each other at a diner the following week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLauren, we\u2019re supposed to be doing your check-up, not eating greasy food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHenry, I need a pick-me-up,\u201d I laughed. \u201cYou can schedule me in before my final exams. In about a week.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cFine,\u201d he agreed. \u201cNow, order away. My treat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We sat there for hours, drinking milkshakes, eating fries, and ending it off with a slice of apple pie.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Two<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Two chocolate milkshakes on a table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Suddenly, color seemed to filter back into my life. I didn\u2019t feel as alone. My heart still yearned for my parents, but Henry had started to patch some of that yearning. He told me about his daughter and how she loved burgers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSeriously, Lo,\u201d he said. \u201cNat would probably have had no problem selling her soul for a good burger.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And in the end, he promised to introduce me to his wife.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMargot will adore you,\u201d he said simply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And like that, joy made her way back into my life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What would you have done?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you\u2019ve enjoyed this story, here\u2019s\u00a0another one<\/a>\u00a0for you |<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Two years after her husband\u2019s death, Barbara finally faces the daunting task of sorting through his garage. Among old memories, she uncovers a hidden safe, and a life-changing secret. As she pieces together her husband\u2019s past, Barbara must decide if she\u2019s ready to open her heart to the unexpected.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It doesn\u2019t leave you all at once. It lingers in the spaces between moments, in the hollow quiet of a house that used to be full and colorful. And it lingers in the instinct to call someone who isn\u2019t there anymore. For me, grief lived in my phone. An upset young woman | Source: Midjourney…<\/p>\n

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