Doors? Locked.

Windows? Barred.

The outside? Long forgotten.

Being stuck inside with your family is worse for some people than others. Some people have mean or abusive families, others have broken families, and others just aren’t good at being in close quarters with their relatives. On my end, my dad is currently fighting through stomach cancer.

I love my dad more than I love myself, even if that’s not saying much. He’s the one who I looked up to in my early years and who I molded myself out of. He’s been the impact on some of the biggest parts of my life, and is my hero. Which is why it is so hard to be stuck home with him.

In his current state, my father is frail, he can hardly stand on his own and is so thin that I can feel every bone in his body when he hugs me. I had never seen my father cry before this time in our lives, and it broke me. Imagine seeing the person you looked up to your whole life break down into a shell of who they formerly were.That’s what I feel everytime I go into check on him.

And even so…

I love spending time with him, even now. I love watching shows and movies that he’s been looking up with all the free time that he has. I love getting to talk with him about the new games that I’ve gotten during quarantine, and I love hearing his opinion on all of it.

He’s still my hero, because he’s still one of the strongest people that I’ve ever met. Imagine suffering through the horrors of cancer, and still finding time to hang out with your kid? I can’t understand how he does it, but I love that he does.