The dirty Rain

THE HARD GOODBYE

The old man laid on the mattress, his body look weary from the years of been bedridden. Beside his mattress laid a small stood with a diary at the right corner and a small cup of water at the centre. 

He took a deep breath which sounds like a wind whistling during a windy night. A lot of thoughts filled his weary mind, the opportunities missed, the people he cared for and a lot of plans which he wanted to execute but could not due to the progressing strange ailments that like a scary unseen enemy found its way slowly and quietly into his body. 

The corner of the old man mouth tweak with a smile with the thoughts of his only surviving granddaughter Evelyn as he is found of calling her. Before been nurtured to sleep few hours earlier. She had walked up to the old man sick bed with a surprisingly bold face very unusual of her gentle character and said

"Grandpa, I gives you just three minutes to get up from that bed and" pee" or I will tell my fairy friends to put put a needle on your "bumbum" 

While she insisted on the old man to obey her, her mother tried in vain to explain to her why her grandpa could not get up but her words were like fairy tales to the little girl. She was gently carried out of the room for the old man to enjoy his rest. 

"Even at the point of death there is still something that makes me glad, I lived to see my granddaughter" the old man thought 

The door opened with a little sound as Penina Evelyn mother entered the room to check her sick father. The old man turned her head towards her and beckons her in. 

"Father I thought you have slept off, why are you not sleeping" Penina asked with a concerned tone. 

"How could I sleep with all these sweet thought of Evelyn filling my heart. You really raised that girl well despite your husband left you many years ago all by yourself" the old man replied with a barely audible voice. 

"you were there with me all the way and the fact is you gave me strength that keeps me going when the going was tough so I own it all to you" Penina replied with tears clouded her eyes. 

"am sorry I could not be there much longer than I thought, but I know you will do better when I am gone" the old man replied with a mixture of sad and reassuring voice. 

"Am sure you will not die now God will not let me loose you just like that. Please just be strong for me and your Evelyn" Penina replied her father with the mind of giving her father comfort. But deep inside her she knew her father has just few hours to live. The Doctors have earlier told her that the old man will soon die having exhausted all medical care that could be possibly given for his condition with no positive results over the last couple of months. 

"you should go catch some sleep so you can wake earlier to prepare Evelyn for school" the old man said stretching his weak hand to gently touched Penina hand as she has dosed off while sitting on the floor with her head resting on her father bedside. 

"OK daddy" she replied as she raised her self reluctantly from the floor and made her way out of the room. Before she left the room, she turned her head to take the last glance of her father with a mixture of hope and doubts that she may not see her father alive in the morning. 

Just as the Doctors predicted, the old man died peacefully in his sleep at the early hours of the daybreak.