It had become a daily routine for the boy now-to wake up at the crack of dawn and cycle to the harbor to watch as the sun rose from its slumber and the light played tricks on the water.

But today, things were different, the sky was not its peaceful self and the clouds looked like they were ready to burst any minute now. It was a gloomy morning. He hated days like these since they reminded him most of his father.

It had been a very difficult year for him without his father. At the prime age of life, a boy needed a strong father to guide him and make sure he would grow up to become a gentleman. Nostalgia hit him as he looked back to the days when he was not the only one sitting at the harbor watching the colorful sails of the ships  but when his father would be right beside him sharing the silence and just enjoying one another’s presence.

A fat tear rolled down his cheek as he was reminded of the night he was informed that his father’s ship had been lost at sea. Another tear rolled down as he pictured the grief stricken expression on his mother’s face when she got to know. He knew he had to be strong, he had to hold his head up high and support his mother emotionally, being the only child. He had to be a responsible student in his last year of high school so that he could afford to go to college. This past year had been too much for him to handle and his emotional strength had been tested in the most unimaginable ways. He had cracked. His tears disappeared into the raindrops which were now falling relentlessly. The helpless birds rushed to find shelter.large (2)

The streets were deserted and he was the only one out of his bed on this stormy morning. He was alone. He had been alone ever since his father had left him. There was nothing that could fill the void in his heart that his father had left. So he just sat there, watching the storm and wondering when the storm inside him would stop and it would be peaceful again.