People say that when somebody you love dies, it takes a while for it to sink in. My experience was different. When my father died, I knew at once that he was gone for good. And at that very moment, I had resolved that I will not fail him; that I needed to be strong or he would be sad. In my child’s mind, I knew he was somewhere looking over me but could never defend or take care of me anymore. And this was the saddest part of my life. Remembering it now, I am filled with sadness. A sadness that does not go away with time. You just learn to live with it. They say too that the sun shines brightest after a storm but my storm went on for years and I stood there like a sturdy tree and waited till the sun shone.