Score |
156
Joe Ink
Student @ University of Abuja
Student @ University of Abuja
THE EMPTY CHAIR
<p>The Empty Chair</p><p><br/></p><p>Everyone thought Aisha hated her father.</p><p><br/></p><p>She never answered his calls. She ignored his birthday messages. Whenever people mentioned him, she changed the subject. To everyone else, she looked like an ungrateful daughter.</p><p><br/></p><p>What they didn't know was that Aisha grew up watching her father choose alcohol over family. He missed her school performances, forgot her birthdays, and broke promises so many times that she stopped believing his words.</p><p><br/></p><p>At twenty-three, she finally moved away and decided she would never look back.</p><p><br/></p><p>Then one afternoon, an unknown number called.</p><p><br/></p><p>"Your father collapsed."</p><p><br/></p><p>She stared at the phone for a long time before deciding not to go.</p><p><br/></p><p>"He'll recover," she told herself.</p><p><br/></p><p>Hours later, another call came.</p><p><br/></p><p>This time, he was gone.</p><p><br/></p><p>For days, she carried anger instead of tears. But during the funeral, an elderly neighbor handed her a worn-out notebook.</p><p><br/></p><p>"He asked me to give you this if anything happened."</p><p><br/></p><p>Inside were years of handwritten notes.</p><p><br/></p><p>"Day 45: I stayed sober today because I want Aisha to be proud of me."</p><p><br/></p><p>"Day 132: I stood outside her graduation, but I couldn't walk in because I thought she'd hate seeing me."</p><p><br/></p><p>"Day 301: I still save money every month, hoping one day she'll let me buy her birthday cake again."</p><p><br/></p><p>Page after page revealed a man fighting battles she never knew about. He had been sober for three years. He had been trying to become the father she deserved—but shame kept him from believing he deserved forgiveness.</p><p><br/></p><p>Aisha broke down.</p><p><br/></p><p>She wasn't crying because her father had failed her.</p><p><br/></p><p>She was crying because she never got the chance to see the man he was becoming.</p><p><br/></p><p>From that day on, she learned that forgiveness doesn't always erase the past, but sometimes it opens a door before it's too late.</p><p><br/></p><p>Moral</p><p>Don't wait until someone's chair is empty before saying the words your heart has been holding. Some people are still becoming better, even if you can't see their journey.</p>
|
12
Other insights from Joe Ink
Contributor Points
Points-to-Coupons
Referral Earning
Insights for you.
Dear African Parents,
Every "African parent" disapproves of suicide. "Why take his life over something so lit...
327 views
64 upvotes
71 comments
SOMETHING MUST KILL A MAN
Something must kill a man! That's what Emeka thought to himself that afternoon, outside...
183 views
35 upvotes
33 comments
BREAST IRONING
Ever heard of the breast ironing practice? well, I am from Cameroon and we have strong ...
1886 views
34 upvotes
38 comments
UNTAMED WORDS
They came with fire, but feared our flame,taught us silence, then gave it a name.Stole ...
365 views
29 upvotes
23 comments
My Greatest fear
My Greatest FearMy greatest fear isn’t death ,it’s the inability to write.I have a wild...
379 views
26 upvotes
26 comments
Divide The National Moi Moi
While embarking on my beauty stroll this evening, I pondered what I would write about. ...
954 views
18 upvotes
19 comments
Do You Know Anarchy? I'll Tell You!
Anarchy was a black teenage girl, enslaved in Alabama. She became one of the most exper...
509 views
13 upvotes
22 comments
Hotel Rwanda 🇷🇼 part 1 Nomshu
Hotel Rwanda: Part 1 – How I Ended Up in the MadnessOkay, so you know how life sometime...
82 views
22 upvotes
22 comments
BROKEN BUT BEAUTIFUL
Picture this: JSS 1, grade 5, minding my business, when I get hit with the plot twist o...
125 views
22 upvotes
20 comments
The Weight We Never Asked For
When you are born a girl child, something is taken from you before you even understand ...
217 views
12 upvotes
24 comments
