He scooped me in his arms and he took out his slippers. He put me on his lap and slapped the slippers on my bottom. In his booming voice, he said, "Don't ever go out of the house without my permission." And then after that, he lifted me up and hugged me tight. I was crying and squirming from him. But he did not let me go. When I looked at his face after I had calmed down. I saw tears running down his face. I was 9 years old.
6:45 in the morning, he called to me to ask if I was ready for school. I told him, I was okay. He handed me my daily allowance with a little extra and whispered to me, "Don't tell your mama I gave you extra." I smiled at him and nodded to him yes. As we sat in the jeep, I saw a classmate waiting for a ride and as the jeep stopped, I took out my hand from my Papa's hand and I started rummaging through my book bag as if I was looking for something. My classmate sat next to me and greeted me hi. My papa looked at this boy and nudged me. I smiled back at my papa. As the jeep pulled over to where my school was, my papa gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and reminded me to be home by 5. I said yes. As we got off the jeep, he waved and I started walking towards school with my classmate. He said, "You're a papa's girl," and started laughing. I walked on. I was 14.
One night, he came to my room. I had just wiped my tears out of my face after a dreaded phone call. He stood at my door and looked at me, took two steps to where I was sitted and hugged me. He said, "If you're pregnant, you'll have to choose to either continue school if you still can or stop for a while and then after you give birth, you can continue to go to school and graduate. Mama and I will take care of the baby while you continue on." I could not speak. He knew right away what was my challenge at that time. I simply hugged him and with a straight face, I said to him, "I won't stop going to school. I will finish on time. I will make you proud, Papa." I was 21.
Don was waiting in front of the altar. I was dressed in my off white wedding gown. My mom on my left side clutching on to my arms. He was on my right. I held his hand. It was cold and shaking. I took a look at his face as the bridal march started to play. I looked at him and saw his eyes welling with tears. I pulled both of them closer to me as we started to walk down the church aisle. I was 29.
Papa Lakay as we fondly call him has always been there for me. He has always encouraged me to always be my best and hugged me close to him when I failed. He has taken cared of my son while I was out in school and eventually, until I graduated and found work. He was always ready to come to my rescue when I found myself in compromising situations even when I was already an adult.
I feel blessed to have my dad be there for me during the most important times of my life. Up until now, he always gives me his two-cent's worth of advice. I still ask him for his thoughts when I make certain decisions and his suggestions has never failed me. We have had disagreements in the past, sometimes to the point where he would burst out in anger because of my reasons, but in the end, he would understand my decisions and still accept them. He would always make a way for everything to be alright.
I have seen how my Papa loved us and especially how he has taken cared of my Mama. Regardless of my complaints at the things he might not have done or what he might have said in the past, I have realized that he did not fail in raising me as a daughter. Part of who I am, I give credit to my Papa. I am who I am because of what I was taught by him. I learned from him integrity. I learned from him responsibility. I learned from him love. I learned from him compassion. Papa also took risks for me and made choices, some of them may not be in the approval of others, but always, he thought for as long as it was better for me, then he would go ahead and defy what others thought and do what was best.
I believe in God as my Heavenly Father and the reason I know He exists is because He is in the person of my Papa.
I love you, Papa. Happy Father's Day.
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