16 years is a long time... - by Eurie Kim

My dad passed away on July 19, 2009. It was a sudden heart attack. My older brother and I were in Philadelphia at the time (I had just graduated from business school and was taking a few weeks off before moving to NYC). We flew back as soon as our mother called. It was hot Sunday afternoon. We managed to catch the last two seats on the last United flight out that evening. We flew in silence and went straight from SFO to Marin General once we landed around 11pm; But, we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. He had passed before our mother even called. A lot of life has transpired in 16 years; but I’m not sure when, if, my heart has ever decided to admit he’s gone. I’m just not convinced he’s ever been gone. I always felt his presence, his voice, his warm heavy hand on my heart. We didn’t say much to each other when we were together, everything always seemed to get lost in translation; so the silence wasn’t as much a loss. He only had a few things to say most of the time anyways, and those

My dad passed away on July 19, 2009. It was a sudden heart attack. My older brother and I were in Philadelphia at the time (I had just graduated from business school and was taking a few weeks off before moving to NYC). We flew back as soon as our mother called. It was hot Sunday afternoon. We managed to catch the last two seats on the last United flight out that evening. We flew in silence and went straight from SFO to Marin General once we landed around 11pm; But, we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. He had passed before our mother even called. A lot of life has transpired in 16 years; but