So instead of just writing another birthday message to him, I thought I would share something a little more special.
Before dad passed away, he had started writing his memoirs.
He never finished it.
Mum had been asking him for years to write down his story because she was worried that one day he would be gone and so much of his life would remain untold.
Eventually, reluctantly, he started.
Reading these pages now feels different.
It’s dad’s exactly as I remember him. His stories. His humour. His stubbornness. His opinions. And, of course, his complete inability to be politically correct.
Then I came across the part where he wrote about his daughters.
My sister and me.
Apparently dad was very happy that we inherited Mummy’s tough streak.
And then came the warning to anyone thinking of messing with his girls.
Typical dad.
There are only 50 pages.
The book was never finished.
And perhaps that is what makes these pages so precious to me.
He wrote that he wanted his grandchildren, and their children after them, to know his story.
So on his 76th birthday, maybe it’s time I start sharing a little of the story he didn’t get to finish.
Happy Birthday, dad.
Your book may be unfinished.
But your stories aren’t going to disappear.
I’ll make sure of that.
Raja Sara Petra (rajasarapetra@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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