In loving memory...

Hello my friend, we speak again, it’s been a while where should we begin? It feels like it’s been forever. Within my heart lie the perfect and well guarded memories, a perfect love that you gave to me; that I remember. I just want to say hello again.

I thought of you again today, as I have every year for the past four, and I just wanted to say hello again. Whether you have been following my progress in general is not in doubt; I’m pretty sure you’ve been checking in on me once in a while just to make sure that I didn’t make too many mistakes. In fact, I’m quite sure you’re the voice that has on so many occasions stopped me doing things that I would have probably lived to regret.

I just want to say hello again and tell you things haven’t been the same since you left. True we weren’t the best of friends but that’s because you always believed that discipline in life was key and I was headstrong and fighting my way out of teenage and still trying to work out my identity and niche in life. Too bad I spent half that time with a blurry haze shielding my eyes from the important things in life. If only I’d known then what I know now maybe things would have been different. They say that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone and boy don’t I know that. It’s amazing how these mundane statements we make come back to slap us in the face.

I just wanted to say hello again and fill you in on the things we talked about last. Yes, the girls are well. I have done all I could to make sure of that just as I promised. One is busy criss-crossing the world singing her heart out and exercising her talents. The other is in the land of our former colonial masters working on bettering herself. The last is at home, and it is for her that I have looked out for most. She misses you more than I do, or ever will. I do so hope they let you go every once in a while that you may check in on her and let her know that you’re never too far.

I just wanted to say hello and tell you that all those things you told me when I was busy sulking away like some whiny child have come to pass and I only wish now that I had paid more attention. It’s been hard converting from boy to man in such a short time but I made it and I think you had something to do with that, after all I do suffer from good upbringing.

I thought by now I would have got over it but five years to the day the wound still hurts like it did then. They say time heals all but this is one that time may just have glossed over. I just wanted to say hello again and let you know we miss you now as much as then and that you will never be forgotten. Your spirit lives on in all of us and even as the warm tears course down my cheeks, you should know that. You were, are and will always be not only my father but my friend and nothing in this world shall ever change that.

I miss you dad and that is why I just wanted to say hello again.