Post by melindajo2000 on Jun 14, 2010 15:44:05 GMT -6
Phillip went to the park bench, excited to tell his father about his and Beth’s good news. He and Beth were getting married. He would never have proposed if he hadn’t listened to his father’s advice. Throughout the years he had his father had butted heads many times, and only recently he had come to see that Alan, in his on way, was trying to push him to be his best. He had a funny way of showing his love, but he did love him. Alan’s methods were unorthodox to say the least, but when he won he truly came out on top.
Alan had just saved Phillip’s live. Alan had once seemed completely unredeemable but now he had become one of the most unselfish men that Phillip knew. He laughed when he thought of unselfish and his father in the same sentence. But it was true. He owed his very life to the man who brought him into the world in more ways than one.
Phillip approached Alan from behind on the bench and proceeded to tell him of his engagement. For the first time in his life he was able to thank him for what he had done for him. Beth was the true love of his life, and now they were going to have the happy ever after that had seemed so out of reach. After the ramblings of a madman, he stopped, hoping to hear at the very least congratulations from his father. But instead he was met with a deadly silence.
He ran around and saw that his father’s eyes were shut, and he was completely still. Phillip shook his father, who refused to move. This couldn’t be happening. His father had so much to look forward to. His family, family that meant everything to him, family that he’d spent all his life fighting for, was finally complete. Phillip screamed out his name but Alan would not open his eyes. He was stone cold and Phillip felt sick to his stomach. He hadn’t been this scared since the day he’d found out that he had cancer.
He got out his cell phone and called Rick, telling him that he needed to get there immediately. Soon Rick and the squad were there. Rick performed CPR while Phillip stood by helplessly. This was like a scene in a soap opera- his best friend trying desperately to save his father. This went on for minutes, and the younger Spaulding knew this couldn’t be good. His father looked so pale. Finally they revived him and they were able to load him onto the ambulance.
“Phillip,” Rick put his hands on his friend’s arms. “Maybe I should drive you.”
“No, I’m riding with him.”
Seeing how determined he was, Rick relented. Phillip climbed in and held Alan’s hand the entire way there. Once they got there Phillip was asked to wait in the hall. Beth arrived, where she sat down and held his hand.
“I can’t deal with this, Beth. What if something happens to him? What if something goes wrong?”
“Phillip you can’t think like that. You have to be strong, for his sake. Your father needs you right now. He is counting on you to be his strength. I know you can do this.”
“Why did this happen now? Everything was going so well- maybe too well. That’s the way it is with the Spauldings. You can never ask for too much. It just doesn’t work that way.”
“Honey, you can’t let yourself get worked up this way. I’m sure they are doing everything they can for him. All we can do is wait.”
“I hate waiting. I’m no good at waiting,” he complained.
“You’ve waited a lifetime for me,” Beth smiled.
Phillip leaned in on her shoulder and he waited for the doctor to bring him news on his father’s condition.
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“Phillip, Alan has had a heart attack,” Rick told him. “We think he’ll be okay but he’s had a major blockage. It will be touch and go for awhile.”
“Can I see him?”
“Just for a few minutes.”
“I’ll be right back,” Phillip told Beth.
Phillip went into Alan’s room, where he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. It was hard seeing the immortal Alan Spaulding looking so helpless. This wasn’t the father he knew all of his life. He sat down beside him and took his hand.
“Dad, I know you’re in there somewhere and I hope you can hear me. I am here for you and I’m not going anywhere. There’s so much I want to say to you. So much that I’ve been meaning to say, but I’ve never found the time or the words. All of my life I’ve been dealing with your expectations and I’ve been fighting to live up to them or get away from them. And I blamed you for a lot of my problems. You see, I have been dealing with my own issues and it was easier to hate you then to admit that I had my own failings. You’re not perfect. You’re controlling, stubborn, a pain in the neck. But you’re my father. You’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get me where I’m at today. And in case I’ve never told you this, I’m proud to call you my father. I love you.”
With that, Alan squeezed his hand. With that simple gesture, more was said between the two of them than was said over a lifetime of fighting. Alan would recover, and would go on to have more battles with his son. They fought a little harder, played a little longer, and loved a little deeper. Phillip truly became his father’s son.
Alan had just saved Phillip’s live. Alan had once seemed completely unredeemable but now he had become one of the most unselfish men that Phillip knew. He laughed when he thought of unselfish and his father in the same sentence. But it was true. He owed his very life to the man who brought him into the world in more ways than one.
Phillip approached Alan from behind on the bench and proceeded to tell him of his engagement. For the first time in his life he was able to thank him for what he had done for him. Beth was the true love of his life, and now they were going to have the happy ever after that had seemed so out of reach. After the ramblings of a madman, he stopped, hoping to hear at the very least congratulations from his father. But instead he was met with a deadly silence.
He ran around and saw that his father’s eyes were shut, and he was completely still. Phillip shook his father, who refused to move. This couldn’t be happening. His father had so much to look forward to. His family, family that meant everything to him, family that he’d spent all his life fighting for, was finally complete. Phillip screamed out his name but Alan would not open his eyes. He was stone cold and Phillip felt sick to his stomach. He hadn’t been this scared since the day he’d found out that he had cancer.
He got out his cell phone and called Rick, telling him that he needed to get there immediately. Soon Rick and the squad were there. Rick performed CPR while Phillip stood by helplessly. This was like a scene in a soap opera- his best friend trying desperately to save his father. This went on for minutes, and the younger Spaulding knew this couldn’t be good. His father looked so pale. Finally they revived him and they were able to load him onto the ambulance.
“Phillip,” Rick put his hands on his friend’s arms. “Maybe I should drive you.”
“No, I’m riding with him.”
Seeing how determined he was, Rick relented. Phillip climbed in and held Alan’s hand the entire way there. Once they got there Phillip was asked to wait in the hall. Beth arrived, where she sat down and held his hand.
“I can’t deal with this, Beth. What if something happens to him? What if something goes wrong?”
“Phillip you can’t think like that. You have to be strong, for his sake. Your father needs you right now. He is counting on you to be his strength. I know you can do this.”
“Why did this happen now? Everything was going so well- maybe too well. That’s the way it is with the Spauldings. You can never ask for too much. It just doesn’t work that way.”
“Honey, you can’t let yourself get worked up this way. I’m sure they are doing everything they can for him. All we can do is wait.”
“I hate waiting. I’m no good at waiting,” he complained.
“You’ve waited a lifetime for me,” Beth smiled.
Phillip leaned in on her shoulder and he waited for the doctor to bring him news on his father’s condition.
00000
“Phillip, Alan has had a heart attack,” Rick told him. “We think he’ll be okay but he’s had a major blockage. It will be touch and go for awhile.”
“Can I see him?”
“Just for a few minutes.”
“I’ll be right back,” Phillip told Beth.
Phillip went into Alan’s room, where he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. It was hard seeing the immortal Alan Spaulding looking so helpless. This wasn’t the father he knew all of his life. He sat down beside him and took his hand.
“Dad, I know you’re in there somewhere and I hope you can hear me. I am here for you and I’m not going anywhere. There’s so much I want to say to you. So much that I’ve been meaning to say, but I’ve never found the time or the words. All of my life I’ve been dealing with your expectations and I’ve been fighting to live up to them or get away from them. And I blamed you for a lot of my problems. You see, I have been dealing with my own issues and it was easier to hate you then to admit that I had my own failings. You’re not perfect. You’re controlling, stubborn, a pain in the neck. But you’re my father. You’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get me where I’m at today. And in case I’ve never told you this, I’m proud to call you my father. I love you.”
With that, Alan squeezed his hand. With that simple gesture, more was said between the two of them than was said over a lifetime of fighting. Alan would recover, and would go on to have more battles with his son. They fought a little harder, played a little longer, and loved a little deeper. Phillip truly became his father’s son.
