My Dad Who Left 20 Years Ago Called from His Deathbed for a Final Wish — What He Asked Broke My Heart
When my estranged father, who left 20 years ago, called from his deathbed, I was torn between anger and curiosity. His final wish was something I never expected, and what he revealed about his disappearance shattered everything I thought I knew.
I was getting ready for bed when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. The number was unfamiliar, so I let it go to voicemail. Not even a minute later, a text came through: “ALICE, THIS IS YOUR DAD. PLEASE CALL, I AM IN THE HOSPITAL.”
A woman in her bedroom at night, looking at her phone | Source: Midjourney
My heart stopped. Dad? After twenty years? I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the message. Part of me wanted to delete it and forget, but curiosity won. I called the number back.
“Hello?” The voice was weak, barely audible.
“Dad?”
“Alice, it’s me. I… I don’t have much time.”
“Why are you calling now?” My voice was harsher than I intended.
“I need to explain… to ask something of you. But please, don’t tell your mother.”
Doctors standing beside a hospital bed, looking concerned | Source: Pexels
There it was, the same secrecy that defined my childhood. “What do you want?”
He took a shaky breath. “I left because your grandfather, Harold, paid me to disappear. He hated me, thought I was a failure. He found someone else for your mom, someone better.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Grandpa? He did that?”
“Yes. I was struggling back then. Addictions, bad decisions. Your grandfather saw a chance to get rid of me, and I took the money.”
A sick-looking man lying in bed | Source: Pexels
“So you just left us for money?” Anger bubbled up.
“I know it sounds awful. But I invested that money, built a business. It was all for you, Alice. To secure your future.”
“Why didn’t you ever come back?”
“Part of the deal. I couldn’t approach you or your mom. But I was there, watching. I saw your graduation, your volleyball games. I was always there, just… from a distance.”
I felt like my world was tilting. “Why didn’t Mom ever tell me?”
An old man in a hospital bed talking on a cell phone | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t want you to hate him. Or maybe she thought she was protecting you.”
“What do you want now?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“I need to see you, Alice. One last time before I go. I’m at St. Mary’s Hospital.”
I didn’t know what to say. Could I face him after everything?
“Please, Alice. It’s my dying wish.”
The exterior of a hospital building at night | Source: Midjourney
The line went silent, and I sat there, the phone still in my hand, my thoughts tumbling. Should I go? What would I even say to him? I needed to think, but there was no time. He was dying.
The next morning, I called in sick to work and sat in my kitchen, staring at my coffee. Should I tell Mom? But he’d asked me not to.
I called my best friend, Jen. “Hey, can we talk?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
A woman talking on a cell phone | Source: Pexels
“It’s… it’s my dad. He called last night.”
“Your dad? The one who left?”
“Yeah. He’s dying, and he wants to see me.”
“Wow. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know. Angry, confused. He told me things, Jen. About my Grandpa.”
“Like what?”
“That my grandfather paid him to leave. He said he was there at my graduation, my games. But he couldn’t approach us.”
“That’s insane. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. He wants me to visit him, but I’m not sure I can.”
A woman in conversation on a cell phone | Source: Pexels
Jen was silent for a moment. “Maybe you should go. Get some answers. Closure.”
“I guess. But I don’t know if I’m ready to face him.”
“Take your time, but don’t take too long. If he’s dying…”
“I know. Thanks, Jen.”
After hanging up, I sat back, deep in thought. Jen was right. Maybe I did need closure. I couldn’t keep living with these unanswered questions. And if he really was dying… I had to see him.
A woman driving a car | Source: Pexels
I decided to go to the hospital. As I drove, memories of my childhood flashed through my mind. The good times before he left, the confusion and pain afterward. The way Mom never spoke about him, the unanswered questions that haunted me.
I walked into the hospital room, feeling the weight of years and unanswered questions pressing down on me. The beeping machines filled the stark room with an unsettling rhythm. My dad lay in the bed, looking more frail than I had ever imagined. His eyes lit up when he saw me, a weak smile forming on his lips.
An old man sitting up in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“Alice,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Hi, Dad.” I stood at the foot of the bed, not sure what to say. Anger and confusion swirled inside me, but seeing him like this, so vulnerable, made it hard to voice them.
“You came,” he said, relief evident in his eyes.
“I had to. I needed to understand why.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry for everything.” He reached out a trembling hand, and I took it, feeling the cold, fragile skin.
A young woman close to an old man in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“Why did you do it, Dad? Why did you take Grandpa’s money and leave us?”
He sighed, a deep, rattling sound. “I thought it was the best way to secure a future for you and your mother. I was a mess, Alice. Addicted, broke. Your grandfather offered me a way out, a chance to give you a better life, even if it meant I couldn’t be part of it.”
“Do you know how much that hurt us? How much it hurt me?” Tears welled up in my eyes. “You missed everything, Dad. My graduation, my volleyball games, my entire life.”
A woman with tears in her eyes | Source: Midjourney
“I was there, Alice. Watching from afar. It broke my heart not to be with you, but I thought I was doing the right thing.” He paused, struggling for breath. “I tried to make it right. I invested the money, built something that I hoped would help you.”
“Why didn’t you come back when you were better?”
“I couldn’t. Part of the deal was that I had to stay away. But I wrote to you, Alice. Letters, every year. They’re in a safety deposit box. Here.” He handed me a small key. “After I’m gone, open it. You’ll find proof of everything, and the letters.”
A small key in the palm of a hand | Source: Pexels
I took the key, my fingers trembling. “Why now, Dad? Why tell me all this now?”
“Because I’m dying, and I can’t leave this world without you knowing the truth. I love you, Alice. I’ve always loved you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I gripped his hand. “I needed you, Dad. I needed my father.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. But I hope you’ll understand why I did what I did when you read those letters.”
An apparently comatose figure in a hospital bed | Source: Pexels
We sat in silence, holding hands, the machines’ beeping the only sound in the room. After a while, his breathing became more labored. He squeezed my hand one last time, and then he was gone.
I left the hospital feeling a mix of emotions. Relief, anger, sadness, and a strange sense of closure. The next day, I went to the bank and used the key to open the safety deposit box. Inside, I found stacks of financial documents and a bundle of letters, each one addressed to me, dated over the years.
A corridor of safety deposit boxes | Source: Midjourney
I took the letters home and spent hours reading them. Each one was filled with his regrets, his love, his hopes for my future. He wrote about the business he built, how he watched over me, how proud he was of my achievements.
By the time I finished the last letter, my anger had softened into a deep, aching sadness.
With the financial documents, it was clear that my father had indeed worked hard to secure my future. The money he left behind was substantial, enough to change my life. But it wasn’t just about the money. It was about understanding his choices, his sacrifices, and his love.
A woman takes up a hand-written letter | Source: Pexels
I knew I had to talk to my mom. I needed to know her side of the story. When I confronted her, she looked at me with sad eyes.
“I knew about the offer,” she admitted. “I didn’t stop it because I thought it was best for you too. I thought you deserved a better life than what your father could give you at that time.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I wanted to protect you from the truth, to let you remember him without bitterness. Maybe I was wrong, but I did what I thought was best.”
An elderly woman looking down thoughtfully | Source: Pexels
Her confession was another piece of the puzzle, helping me to understand the complex web of decisions that shaped my life.
In the end, I decided to use the money to start a scholarship fund in my father’s name. It felt like the right way to honor his memory and his efforts. It was a way to help others, just as he had tried to help me.
As I launched the scholarship, I felt a sense of peace. The past was complicated and painful, but it had brought me to where I was. And now, with the truth out in the open, I could move forward, honoring both my father’s love and my mother’s sacrifices.
A woman making calculations with a pen in hand | Source: Pexels
Who is the dumbest
Puzzles and brain teasers are a great way to test logical thinking and observation skills. The image above presents a hilarious but thought-provoking challenge: Who is the dumbest? At first glance, all four men seem to be making terrible decisions, but only one of them is truly the most foolish.
Are you ready to test your intelligence and observation skills? Take a closer look and see if you can identify the correct answer before we break it down step by step.
Common Mistakes People Make When Solving This Puzzle
Before we get to the correct answer, let’s discuss some common mistakes that people make when attempting to solve this riddle.
- Focusing on the first person they notice
Many people instantly choose person #2 because he appears to be cutting the branch he is sitting on. However, a deeper look at the situation reveals that another individual is actually in a worse position. - Not considering the consequences of each person’s actions
The key to solving this puzzle is not just identifying who is making a mistake but figuring out who is making the worst mistake. All four individuals are doing something questionable, but their fates are not equal. - Ignoring small but crucial details
The positioning of each person, the direction of their saws, and the placement of the branches all play an essential role in determining the correct answer.
Now, let’s go through each person’s situation to determine who is making the worst mistake.
Breaking Down the Puzzle: Who Is the Dumbest?
Each of the four individuals is making a poor decision, but let’s analyze them one by one to determine who is in the worst situation.
Person #1 (Blue Shirt, Left Side)
Person #1 is sitting calmly on a strong part of the branch and is not cutting anything. He appears to be watching the others without realizing the danger around him. While he might not be the smartest person in this situation, he is not doing anything immediately harmful to himself.
Video : Who’s the dumbest person in this photo?
Verdict: Not the dumbest—he is just clueless.
Person #2 (Red Shirt, Sawing Near the Trunk)
Person #2 is cutting the branch close to the tree trunk. Since he is on the outer part of the branch, he will eventually fall when he finishes sawing. However, there is a small chance that he could react in time and grab the tree to save himself.
Verdict: Not the dumbest, but still making a bad decision.
Person #3 (Green Shirt, Sawing the Branch He Is Sitting On)
Person #3 is directly cutting the branch he is sitting on. The moment he finishes cutting, he will definitely fall. His mistake is worse than person #2’s, but there is still someone making an even worse decision.
Verdict: A very bad mistake, but not the worst.
Person #4 (Black Shirt, Red Hat, Cutting the Far End of the Branch)
Person #4 is making the absolute worst mistake. He is cutting the branch closer to the tree trunk while he is sitting at the far end. Once he finishes cutting, the branch will detach completely, and he will fall instantly with no way to save himself. He has no escape route or way to grab onto the tree.
Verdict: The dumbest person in the picture.
Final Answer: Person #4 Is the Dumbest!
After carefully analyzing all four individuals, it is clear that Person #4 is making the worst decision.
Why Is Person #4 the Dumbest?
- He is cutting the branch between himself and the tree, meaning he has no way to hold on once it falls.
- His fall is 100% guaranteed, and there is no chance of saving himself.
- He is essentially ensuring his own downfall without realizing it.
Person #2 and person #3 are also making foolish choices, but they at least have some chance of survival. Person #4, however, has doomed himself completely.
What This Puzzle Reveals About Your Thinking Skills
This brain teaser is more than just a fun challenge—it tests how well you analyze situations logically and pay attention to details. Here’s what solving this puzzle says about you:
- If you guessed person #4 quickly → You have excellent logical reasoning and observation skills.
- If you guessed person #2 or #3 → You noticed the obvious mistakes but overlooked the worst one.
- If you guessed person #1 → You might need to work on analyzing situations more carefully!
Video : Who is the dumbest
Final Thoughts: Keep Sharpening Your Mind!
This puzzle is a fun and simple way to test your ability to observe and analyze situations. Whether you got the answer right or not, the important lesson here is to always consider the full consequences of actions before making a decision.
Did you figure out the correct answer before reading the explanation? Share your thoughts in the comments and challenge your friends to see if they can solve it too!
Leave a Reply