For some reason, Christmas Eve has always been hard for me. I was so tired that the chaos of the emergency room, the never-ending stream of patients, and the clean hospital lights all blurred together into a blur. But this year was different. My boyfriend of four years, Jeremy, was waiting for me at home with a Christmas present this year.
Once my shift was over, I stepped outside into the cold winter air and couldn’t help but feel excited. He told me that this Christmas would be extra special and make up for all the years I had been alone in the home. I called a cab and sat in the back seat. I was so tired that it felt like it was weighing me down.
When I woke up, I was in a building I didn’t know, and the car was still and quiet around me. I became scared when I realised I had lost track of where I was and how I got there. I saw him then—a stranger standing in the doorway with a strange look on his face.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
The man moved forward and looked right at me. “Megan Price, right?” he asked in a low, sound-trained voice.
I nodded, but I had a lot of questions in my head. How did he understand my name? What did he need?
With tears in his eyes, the man took another step forward. He said, “I’m your father,” and his voice broke with feeling.
It hurt like someone punched me in the gut. My dad? The man I never knew, the one who left me all those years ago?
When the man, who was my dad, started to talk, I felt like my whole world was spinning out of control. He had been lost for years, but Jeremy had finally found him. Right now he was in front of me, asking if he could be a part of my life.
I didn’t know how to feel or what to think. There were times when I wanted to run away from the pain and the unknown. Still, a small, wary part of me wanted to stay and see where this new road might take me.
When I really looked at my dad, I saw something that made me stop and think. There was hope, sadness, and a deep, lasting love that I saw.
“I’m not sure if I can call you Dad yet,” I said in a voice that was almost whispery.
My dad’s face got softer, and he smiled a small, hopeful smile. He said, “That’s fine.” “Megan, I just want to get to know you. I’d like to be a part of your life.
I felt something change inside me as I looked at him, really looked at him. Even though it was a small, shaky step, it was one. As I took that step, I felt a hope and potential that I had never felt before.
It’s possible that this Christmas would be different. This Christmas could be the start of something beautiful and new.
