|
|
|
|
Articles: Moral Stories | My Father's Gift
- Mr. Kiran Ravuri
| |
“‘No,’ he agreed, ‘no more walking.’
“We slept there that night, but the next morning he couldn’t stand up. The coughing and the sound of his breathing were terrible. I think I knew then. We sat under that tree as his breathing got worse, and his face was almost blue from the lack of oxygen. In the evening, he said he wanted a promise from me.
“‘Anything,’ I told him.
“‘I want you to promise that you won’t go back.’ And I gave him my promise. A few hours later, he died.” Józef Glodek stopped and looked out the airplane window. He cleared his throat once, then a second time, and Janet put a hand on his right arm. He gave a half-nod and said, “I buried him there, with my own hands, and the next day I kept my promise. I took the ship to Liverpool.
“It wasn’t until three days later, when I was on the steamship heading for New York, that I realized I might not get into America. Thomas Stafford would be at Ellis Island on December 24th, but he would not be looking for a 14-year-old boy tra- veling alone. He would be looking for his friend, Jan Glodek, and Jan’s son. Thomas Stafford would not know me. And if you did not have a sponsor, you could be put back on the boat to Europe. I wondered how far it was from Ellis Island to the land, because I knew how to swim. Then I realized what a different thought that was for me. I was still 14, but I wasn’t a boy anymore; you can’t be after you’ve walked across Europe and buried your father.
“There were thousands of us onboard that ship and so many languages that I’d never heard before. No storms came up, but the crossing was hard for me. I kept thinking that my father should have been there, for this was his dream, and he’d deserved a new start, a second try at life.
“The ship arrived one day early, on December 23rd, and I remember our coming into harbor. The passengers were all standing on deck, but there wasn’t any cheering or yelling. It was quiet. I think we were afraid because we’d come so far and still might not get in.
| Be first to comment on this Article!
| |
|
|
|
 |
| Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
| Advertisements |
|
