The sad man

He's sitting at the bar. Still dressed from work. Leaning on his arm as if he had no strength left. His eyes are dropping. Age wrinkles mark his depressed features. Big bags under his eyes. He doesn't remember the last time he had a good sleeping night. And rightly so, his world was slowly falling apart.

When did everything start to fall apart? He asks himself not loud, just not add salt to the injury and sound like a mad man.

"Since always". He answers out loud. Drunkenness makes people forget things easily.

He starts to drown himself in old memories, still so lived as a good dream.

He remembers when he was young and careless. He had not had the most brilliant or happy childhood, but he considered it normal at the time. He was also not the most brilliant boy. He was arrogant and single-minded, but still, normal for that time. He refused to accept reality, he had his own interpretation of it, and she was always right. But he was living well that way because it didn't matter how hard life was, the girl he loved would always be by his side. His dream was to build a house where even his parents could live. To open a company where he could employ his sons, grandsons, and nephews. To live simply but happy, all together and never hungry.

Everything changed when he had his daughter. She gave a new light to his world. She made him experience things that he had never thought possible before. She was stubborn and dreamy. And as she was hard work, she was idealistic and unrealistic. Always wanting to learn new things.

Wanting to preserve that happiness, he had his second son, thinking that giving her a brother would show what the real world is like and prepare her for the future. But she continued to do her best to achieve her dream, even if she was a child. No matter what he did, she never gave up. She grew up and learned to be a beautiful and independent woman.

Making his dream forever impossible, but at the same time, all other dreams became true.

How he regretted trying to hold her on! Depriving her of her ambitions for thinking he knew what was the best for her. He had followed the same mistakes as his father, and his grandfather. But now he wanted to change. His second son was also growing up, and he would not repeat the same mistakes.

He was willing to protect them at any cost, he would never let anyone hurt them. Most Important, he wanted to be someone they could always rely on. It was his little princess and his prince forever, he wanted to support her. Then one fine day, she brings a skinny, withered, and shy boy. But with an air of intelligence. The boy was the son of a good friend of his wife. And she said that she chose him. With that stubborn look, but also something else. Respect, he could see that she was not challenging him this time, but seeking his approval to be with the boy. She was willing to give up on the boy for him.

This time he could only laugh, his wife had been trying to introduce the two for ages, and when nobody was waiting for something anymore, something happened! He encouraged her, for the first time he can support her. From there and he did everything within her reach. He used his savings and reserve, and most importantly gave her love.

Everything looked fine. Even though his princess took flight with her prince, he had a new respect for her and all she had achieved. The peak was when he got his first granddaughter.

At first, it was scary, but in the end, a healthy little girl was born, and his daughter was also healthy. That was all that mattered to him.

He started to see his daughter more. No, his daughter started to see them more, they stopped fighting. From a fight, nobody had spoken about.

Then it came more 2 grandchildren and many nephews from distant parents and more and more.

His house was often where everyone would meet, it was a small city but for him, his little paradise.

He did not mind when his son had problems studying, he just supported him.

He did not mind helping his daughter when she needed his help, not even when he needed to buy expensive medicines for his wife.

His wife, his beloved, started to get sick, from working too much, working for him. Although that was not the whole truth, it was mostly how he saw it.

He said to himself, he did not mind when he discovered the dark side of the company in which he worked with such pride.

Now working stressed him out, getting home and looking at the medicines made him sad. His worst fear was to be let alone.

So, when his daughter said that she, her husband and the children, would be moving an ocean far from him, he couldn't say to himself he did not mind it. Even though she said it was for the best, he cried rivers, and so did his wife.

As he thought about it, looking at the bar wall, his phone rings. He answers. A child's voice responds by asking when he will get home.

Three granddaughters, countless nephews, even his parents were still at his side! If that was the end, he would enjoy every moment. That's what he thought about from then on. His wrinkles and tired look did not improve, in fact, they even got worse. But his shoulders felt lighter.