Prologue

I sprinted home. Finally, the school year has ended, and we are on vacation. Yay! I am hoping that Dad would come out of his room today. I want to show him my test results.

As soon as I step inside our home, I shout, “Dad!” Mom is probably at work. I called out to him once more, but nothing. I felt a chill come over me. The atmosphere in the house is gloomy, as if something terrible is going to happen. Shaking off the unease, I sprinted toward my parents’ room and flung open the door.

“Dad!” I cried, rushing to his motionless form sprawled on the floor. I tried shaking him, but to no avail. He was lying on the ground with his mouth open and foam oozing from it. I tried to shake him, but he lay there lifeless, with no soul visible in his eyes.

As tears ran down my face, I trembled as I reached for my phone and dialed my Mom’s number. “Amy?” my mother’s voice made me sob even harder. “Amy, what is wrong, sweetheart?” She inquired, obviously alarmed by my situation.

“Mom! Dad isn’t waking up. I’m trying. He isn’t waking up,” I sobbed.

My mother exhaled sharply and responded, “Stay with him. I’ll be home in 10 minutes. Call 911”

“Please hurry,” I pleaded, my voice breaking. With shaking hands, I dialed 911 and gave them our address. I tried to give my father chest compressions as recommended. I knew he wasn’t breathing, but I could not give up. Maybe, just maybe, Dad would wake up. Please, Dad, please.

Soon, a police officer and two paramedics rushed into the house. The police officer instructed me to wait in another room, but my pleading eyes softened his resolve, allowing me to stay. They had been attempting to revive him when my mother rushed in and realized what was happening. Her eyes filled with dread.

In a heart-wrenching moment, the paramedics closed my father’s lifeless eyes. My mother crumpled to the floor, sobbing, and I clung to her tightly. She screamed in agony, clutching her chest, “No. No. Oh my God, no.”

The officer kneeled and said, “Mam we are so sorry for your loss...”

My ability to understand what he was talking about was lost. I could see his lips moving, but my mind couldn’t absorb what he was saying. I was paralyzed as my eyes remained fixed on the lifeless body. Dad was gone. He left us.

We lost him.