There is a narrative we all loved to listen to as kids, and that was the one about how my gallant Dad got his face covered with scars. I will narrate to you the storey at the conclusion of this tribute, a tribute to the best dad a little girl could ever have. His demise at the early age of 54 came as a shock specially when his designation for the hospital was to have a plaster cast removed only to have him dropped dead in the waiting room.
Although our his death was sudden, the warmest of memories still held a solid presence in my mind for 26 years. If I could work back time, I would apologise for the times I took him for granted. Regrettably, it’s too late and I would have to bear this burden throughout my lifetime. But recognizing the man he was, I’m sure he will forgive me.
They say the good pass away young and that is what has assisted to comfort the gall I felt towards the man up above for taking dad so soon.People interpret the word “special” in a lot of ways. So what do I see in my father that makes him more special than the others?
Dad and his Fathers Day Gifts functioned 34 years in the army but trouble was brewing up on communist day in Hong Kong where dad was sent. It was the sound of alarm bells that propelled the evacuation into motion for the families living outside the barracks to turn back to the camp straightaway.
Eight of us were compacted into the back of a 3 ton army wagon with pillows for protection and ordered to hold our heads down of which we obeyed – the Chinese riot mobs were appearing up from the entrenches that lined the road back to the camp fully equipped with all sorts of killing instruments – 21 stones gone into the wagon on the travel back to camp.
The convoy of trucks that followed behind and stopped – now stood burning wrecks.You can only imagine what the truck and the driver looked like when a onslaught of boulders were hurled into the front portion of the wagon. There were no medals of braveness awarded to the driver when acknowledgement was carried by the army officers for his act of heroism. The reason why was because he should not have been driving at the time, so all the pats on the back went to the wrong man sitting up front.
I often question today this day would we all came out alive if the boot was on the other foot, if those drivers did not violate the rules.
The outcome of that terrifying day was a truck with no windshield, a driver with no face and 8 people who lived to recount the story. Now, you know the reason why the scars on my father’s face scarred us for life.
