Where Are You?

Where Are You? 

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Sheets of snow had already covered the garden. In springtime, the roses would bloom to perfection in this garden. This was a place where Jonathan and his father would come every year to get away for one day. For Jonathan, from school, for his father, from work. 

Now, some people might ask, why a rose garden? Well, the answer was simple: Jonathan and his father were two people who wanted to be around beautiful nature for a day, rather than go on an adventure elsewhere. The father and son truly bonded with each other during this time, talking for hours and hours at a time, about the woes that came with life itself, and doing that didn’t necessarily mean that they had to come here during spring either. 

But Jonathan found himself talking with no one, and in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but a field of snow around him. He looked around as he found himself…lost. He sighed. How old was he to feel this lost without his father? I mean, he was already twenty years old. Wasn't this the age where people are thought to be independent, free from any, so-called shackles that were in the name of mom and dad? 

But try as he may, he increasingly grew desperate as he looked around to see that there was no one around, and no sign of his father. Jonathan, in a desperate voice, called out feebly, 

“Dad?” 

No answer was given, the only answer was from nature, in the form of the wind howling for the longest time. 

Jonathan took a sigh out. He knew at that moment that this was no time to stay in this place and whine about not being able to find his father. Gathering his hands in fists in resolve, he trudged along the sheets of snow, trying to find his father in this snow wonderland. 

Suddenly, he heard a voice come from somewhere. 

“Jonathan…” 

It had been only minutes since he heard that voice, and yet it sounded so nostalgic, so sweet, that it felt like the voice was inviting him to come. 

But there was a problem: Where was it coming from? 

Jonathan had absolutely no idea and just followed his own instincts. But alas, his instincts failed to cooperate with him this time around, and he found himself going in circles, the wind howling while the field of snow was devoid of any human sound at all. No breathing, scratching, or sighing, except for himself.  

‘Dad, where are you…?’ Jonathan thought in his mind.

He got more desperate as he saw the sun on the horizon, and thought to himself, ‘Wait, I have my phon…. Ah, shoot! I left it in the car!’

He cursed himself for forgetting his phone when he always had it with him in everyday life. He knew that he had to find his father the old-fashioned way, and he had better soon, for this was a large field, to begin with, but coupled with the fact that it was covered in snow made it more harder to navigate. 

Desperate to find his father, he shouted to the Heavens, “Please! Let me find dad!” 

Just then, he looked to his left to see a pair of trees, standing with each other, and in the middle creating a sort of passageway to the other side. Jonathan, looking perplexed, nevertheless had a feeling that this was the way to go if he was to meet his father once more. He never thought that at his age that he wanted so much to meet his father, but it seemed that regardless of their age, everyone needed a Father in their lives. 

The ground crunched as he walked step by step, slowly he trudged along as he got closer and closer to the pair of trees, and the passageway in between. When he went through the passageway, he saw the sun a little more set than it was ten minutes ago. But the sun was doing its job of lighting his way until he met and found his father once more. 

He walked tirelessly as he saw that the snow had no end in sight. As he panted more and more as he advanced, he finally caught sight of a face that he so longed to see. 

He whispered, “Dad…” 

The older man, who was looking at anything but his son, heard and recognized at once the voice that called out to him and looked at him directly in the eyes. The older man’s features softened to that of a smile and knowing that his son was too tired to move, slowly made his way to his son, to help him. 

When the father and son met, the father asked the son, “Jonathan, where were you?” 

“Looking for you dad… And honestly, that was the only thing on my mind.” Jonathan grinned in playful banter.

His father chuckled in response. The son and father embraced each other in a hug, the father supporting his tired son. Jonathan covered his eyes with his bangs. He felt hot tears gathering at the tips of his eyes and let them out. 

“Dad… Where the heck did you go? I looked everywhere for you. I didn’t have a phone, the ground was all snow, and I needed you…” Jonathan murmured, sad thinking that his father left him. 

His father, while supporting his son along with him to the car, merely looked at his son directly, which was a rare sight, since his son was taller than him by about four inches or ten centimeters from about two years ago, and softly asked him in return, "Dear son, Jonathan, I didn't go anywhere. Weren't you the one who wandered off?" 

Jonathan looked at his father to see he was stern and yet kind, inviting him to think about what had really happened, in a warm way. He let out a deep sigh.

‘Ah… I wandered off, didn’t I? But dad was always here for me….’ He thought, and hugged his father more tightly, afraid that he would be gone.

His father reassured him, “I won’t go anywhere, dude. As long as you don’t wander off, okay?” 

Jonathan merely nodded, “Dad, I’m sorry.”

His father shook his head, “Don’t be. All that matters is that you came back to me, and you’re here with me. I wouldn’t want anything less.” 

The father and son walked in serene silence to the car, while the wind was blowing its symphony during the remainder of the day as the sun escaped on the horizon, promising to come back tomorrow morning. 

Copyright©2023 By Joshua Kim All Rights Reserved