Dreams of disappointments and buried flowers
Mum and his dad were meeting for the first time. It was by the slightest coincidence as we were shopping in Westfield that we happened to line up directly behind him in the checkout queue.
There was a heavy silence that befell them for some time, their gaze locked on each other as they both exchanged the pain and heartbreak that their respective child had experience as a result of the other parent’s child.
Then Mum began, “So, you’re Caleb’s dad. The travelling pastor.”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should help close down this encounter, run away or just continue to stand there. I auto-piloted to the latter.
“Your son wanted to marry my daughter at some point, and she was all excited. But they really are not right for each other.”
“Yes, it is not God’s plan for them to marry, I believe.” he replied.
I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going.
“My daughter needs to be free to develop her career. She will probably end up working as a translator in Japan or something. She was looking forward to seeing your son when she got back from exchange though.”
“Yes, he was going to rent out his apartment to her.”
“Really? Well she is moving in with her siblings on campus. She did wait for him though.”
“He waited too. But at some point he knew that what was in the past was in the past.”
I wanted to say something. They are talking about my life. My future. I felt so useless.
“He confided in me before telling her it was pointless to keep waiting and said that he will always be afraid of failing her again. In their memory of what they had, I have been planting her favourite flower around all the parts of Japan I have visited. To honour the girl he loves.
Loves? Present tense... So he still loves me? The thing about his father is he is an amazing speaker, with such authority from God in his words. So when he says he “loves” me, it can only be accurate.
I am young. 23 and about to graduate. I have my whole life ahead of me. But a large part of me is now being put to rest, buried in the garden beds around Japan.
He paid the clerk, picked up his ecobags at the end of the counter and gave a quick “May God bless you and your family” before walking away.













