16/08/2025
I stood before my father’s lifeless body and whispered,
“If anyone is owed money by my father, tell me. I will repay every debt.”
My younger sister gripped my hand and cried,
“Brother, how will you pay? You’ve been jobless for five years. You can’t even take care of yourself—how will you clear Father’s debts?”
I placed my hand over hers and said softly,
“No matter how painful, I will repay, sister.”
That night, sleep never came. My heart ached. My sister’s wedding age had already come. Somehow, I could manage the family’s daily needs, but how would I ever arrange her marriage?
The next morning, creditors appeared at our doorstep. Seeing so many faces, sweat dampened my forehead. In a trembling voice, I asked,
“Please tell me how much my father owed. I will try to repay.”
One man stepped forward and said,
“We are from the bank. Your father left 7 lakh taka in savings under his children’s names. Kindly come to the bank.”
Then he left. The rest were from small cooperatives. They said my father deposited 20 taka with them every single day.
That evening, I added everything together. Father had left us 11 lakh taka in savings.
And in that moment, I remembered a night long ago—
I had shouted at him,
“What kind of father are you? Do you even care about my future? I don’t need such a father!”
He had only smiled faintly and replied,
“I am doing what I can. When the time comes, you will see.”
And yes… that time has come. But Father has gone—far away, to the stars.
Looking up at the sky with tears in my eyes, I whispered,
“Father… all these years I never understood you. Now I realize why you spent an entire year wearing the same shirt.”
Fathers truly are the shelter over their children’s heads.
But most of us never try to understand that…
