Goodbye Daddy

As I have mentioned in my other stories, I lost my daddy in 1987. The night that my dad died is a night that I will never forget. To anyone out there that has lost a parent knows the heartache that it brings.

That night at the hospital we (me, my sister, my mom, my uncles, aunts and grandparents) all gathered in the hallway as the nurses prepared my daddy for the mortician. My two baby sisters were left at home with another family member --my sisters were too young to be there and it was also very late and they needed their rest. The hour that my father died, neither of my baby sisters knew and we all thought best that we would tell them later that morning when they awoke. Before any of us got home, one of my baby sisters had an experience that to this day gives me the shivers.

Kelly, who was 12 at the time was woken up by someone shaken her. As she lifted her head and in a drowzy tone asked "what?"

"Kelly, sweetie?"

Kelly's eyes popped open when she realized that it was our daddy's voice.

Daddy, was bending over her and smiling.

Kelly-----"Daddy, what are you doing here? You must be feeling better for them to let you out of the hospital"

Daddy-----"No, Sweetie, I just wanted to let you know that I'm all right. I just wanted to tell you goodbye and that I love you and your sisters very much."

And with that dad turned and walk out of the room and down the hall. Confused, Kelly followed calling out to daddy to wait only to be more confused when daddy vanished into a bright light. A few seconds later mom comes the door hearing Kelly screaming and crying in the hall. When mom asked what happen - Kelly looked at her and said Daddy is dead and he came to tell me goodbye. Needless to say, Mom was taken aback by Kelly's knowledge of my father's death seeing that we hadn't yet told her or Ginger (my other baby sister) of his passing.

Another incident that left goosebumps:

Many years later, Kelly now a grown married woman and mom to a beautiful little girl, Ariel - heard her then 3 year old daughter having a deep conversation with someone. When Kelly went to go check on her daughter to see who it was that she was being so chatty with, Kelly saw no one and inquired to as who she was speaking with. "My grandaddies" replied Ariel. Kelly never mentioned our daddy to Ariel - and Our Grandaddy had passed away only a few weeks earlier and even though Ariel was the apple of her great grandfather's eye - Kelly had not yet mentioned his passing to her young daughter - fearing that she would not understand.

Kelly questioned her young daughter "what do you mean by your grandaddies?"

"My grandaddies - they are playing with me mommy" - then Ariel stopped and turned as if she were listening to instruction and then turned to Kelly as said "And they said not to worry that they are in a very good place."

Well, this was freaking Kelly out - but Kelly decided to play at her daughters game - knowing that her young daughter had not a clue to what her "grandaddies" names were - Kelly looked at her daughter and asked "Ariel, if they are here with you ask them their names." and with that Ariel turned and ask the blank wall "what is your name?" then turned to Kelly and said Erving Weir Jr. --well this amazed Kelly - but Kelly thought well she might have mentioned her great grandfather's name to her - but she was not sure - as Kelly was thinking this - she watched as her daughter turned to the same blank wall and ask the same question - turned back to her mother and said Marvin Edward Golden. Kelly quickly left her daughter's room and went to her room and started crying - because she knew without a doubt that she had never mentioned our father's FULL name to her young daughter - that there was NOWAY that Ariel could have known it.