Letting Go
by Lynn S. M.

“I remember when you taught me to ride a bike. You ran behind me, holding the bicycle seat to stabilize me more than the training wheels could. Then one day, you let go and I raced ahead of you. In my elation, I never thought what it must have been like for you. Did you rejoice with me at my new freedom, or were you terrified?

“Now it’s my turn to let you go. I love you, Dad.”

That was all my comatose father needed to hear. The shallow rising and falling of his chest stopped and I was alone.