五月晴れの朝〜Already 14 Years Have Passed

今日は父の命日。
14年前も今朝のようにだだっ広い五月の空が晴れ渡っていた。

7人兄弟の末っ子として生まれた父。近所の大きな池を泳ぐ競争に、ひとつ上の伯父にかわって飛び込むような活発な子供だったと聞いた。

運動好きだった父、英語教師だった父、酒豪だった父、帰省するたび駅で迎えてくれた父、孫をこの上なくかわいがってくれた父、脳梗塞で倒れてからの父……いつもの公園を走りながら、時々天を仰ぐ。さまざまなシーンの父の姿が今でも鮮やかに蘇る。

昭和39年頃、父との写真／My beloved father in his 30s and me (maybe 4yo)

It was a very comfortable morning the air being clear after the mid-night rain. I remembered the same blue sky I looked up at 14 years ago.

Today is the 14th anniversary of my father's death. He grew up as the youngest son among 7 siblings. I heard he had had an active childhood: he jumped into a big pond instead of his 1-year-older brother for swimming competition, etc.

While running in the usual park in the morning, my mind was full of nostalgic scenes.....how my father enjoyed sports, how he was fond of drink, how he worked as an English teacher, how he took good care of us, how he was waiting for me at the station whenever I came home, how he loved his grandchildren, and how he struggled with the disease......Everything was just like yesterday.