«Please, my child, take me home for Easter. I will sit in a corner and stay with you for a few days. I won’t cause any trouble. They will treat me better at home. I can’t bear it anymore.»
«Dad, you’re behaving like a child. They take care of you here, give you food and medicine, and you keep saying the same thing: ‘I want to go home, I want to go home.'»
«It’s already been a year since I was home. I’ll feel better at home.»
«There are only a few days left until the holidays. I will definitely take you,» said the son.
«Bless you, my son, I am proud of you. Not all children would behave like this. When I am home, we will visit your mother’s grave. You brought flowers to her grave; she loved flowers.»
The son looked at his father for a moment, then looked away. Then he said goodbye and left. From that moment on, the father counted the hours and kept telling the other patients that he would soon be going home.
At home, the son sat on the couch with a pensive expression. He didn’t want to tell his wife. He looked at his wife and said,
«I’m bringing Dad home for the holidays,» looking at her with a pleading gaze. The wife made a nervous gesture and replied sharply,
«Maybe you forgot that your father has tuberculosis and could infect us. We will also have many guests over during these holidays.»
«But the doctor said he is no longer a danger to people.»
«Do you believe the doctors? They don’t understand anything.»
And their conversation ended.
On Easter morning, everyone went to church and then returned home. There were many guests, gathered around a lavish table, eating, drinking toasts to their parents, and teaching their children to be good people.
After the guests left, they cleared the table, tidied up the apartment, and went to bed, exhausted. However, the son couldn’t sleep. Although he was very tired, something was bothering him. In the morning, he decided to visit his father. The hospital was unusually quiet, and there was hardly anyone in the corridors.
The nurse said that many patients had gone home to celebrate Easter with their families. The son lowered his head and began climbing the stairs to the eighth floor, where his father’s hospital room was. He walked to the door, thinking about how he would apologize, and suddenly saw that his father’s bed was empty. He quickly went to the doctor’s office. At the door, he saw the doctor, who spoke in a low voice.
«We did everything we could, but unfortunately, we couldn’t save him. He died. And the last thing he said was that he was very disappointed in life, in his son, and in himself for not managing to raise a decent person.»
