HELEN
I gently pat his shoulder as I sing the lullaby to him. He snores lightly. His face is in peace, his earlier distress gone.
Beside him is Tripod. The cat has one of his paws on his father's chest, as if he is trying to comfort the man. Even the feline knows his father's distress.
Sleeping like this, you would never imagine he is one with such a painful past. He looks like any other person his age, normal, alive, not hurting. Oh how I wish all those were true.
But normal is not an option for the both of us. We are both broken. I can only hope he someday finds it in himself to heal. He is the best that this world has, he deserves better. And yet life keeps coming at him with pain in tow.
I clear away the hair falling over his serene face. He sleeps calmly despite all that ruckus just now. I am glad. He should rest, it has not been an easy day for him.
I continue to the next verse of the song, still patting him.