If He Had Only Known

If He Had Only Known
By: Janelle Cheney


The rain fell heavy and fast from a grey fall sky. The leaves had long since started to fall and were now heaped at the base of the trees in a mushy mess of brown and orange. From the dusty old window pane four homes on Holmes St. were visible, each one in a state of disrepair, evidence of the fallen economic situation. Like the other homes, this one was a small four room house, cozy and comfy for a family of three. With its dark green house paint accented with shutters and doors of white, it was the typical country home of a military man.

Reilly could hear his parents talking in the kitchen. “I’ll miss you while you’re gone,” his mother whispers, and as Reilly looks up he can see his parents embrace. He quickly looks back to the puzzle he has been half-heartedly working for most of the morning.

It was that time of the year again, where his daddy goes off for two weeks to who knows where and mommy cries and is in a constant pout. Then daddy comes home and mommy is happy again and life continues.

The little boy watched as his daddy kissed his mommy goodbye. It was almost his turn to do the ritual hug and kiss and for some reason he did not understand, tears started to roll down his face. “Don’t cry little man,” his father says as he squats down to be on face level with the six year old. “Let me go with you daddy! Mommy is always so sad when you leave and that makes me sad. Why can’t we just go with you?” Reilly’s hands grappled as he struggled to keep a hold of the best man he had ever known.

Daddy gently wiped the tears from his cheeks, and whispered, “Be a good boy for your mother,” before he enveloped him in a warm embrace. The embrace lasted only seconds before daddy let him go and headed down the walk to the cab that waited for him. “I love you son!” his father shouted as he climbed hastily into the cab, suitcase in hand.

Perhaps if he had only known. Known it would be the last time he would see his parents kiss, the last time he would have the ritual hug and kiss, the last time he father would tell him to be a good little boy. Perhaps if he had only known, he would have shouted with as much love and enthusiasm “I love you dad!”

(We never know what tomorrow will bring. May we all be a little more willing to express the love we have for one another.)