Tuesday 8 April 2008

The Art Teacher

My Dad is dead, or so they say. I haven’t seen him in many days. He use to be here but now he’s gone, where to, I do not know. He signed my passport application when I was three and then he walked away and I’ve never seen him since. Is he dead or has he just left? I’ve wasted many days wondering where he is. The older I got the more I thought of him, but now, after so many years I don’t think I care. I don’t care where he is and I don’t care who he is and yet whenever I hear him mentioned I always stop to listen.

They say I look just like him, they say I speak the same, they say I draw like him. I don’t know, I can’t remember him. I don’t know what he looks like or how he sounds and I’ve never seen his drawings. I use to ask about him, I wanted to see him in my mind, but I could never get the image quite right. I don’t even know his real name. I do know his adopted name. I tried to find him once, but Missing Persons said there were no recent records of him, not even a tax return.

My Mum always said he wanted to go ‘underground’, I guess he managed it. His friends think he is dead, except one of them, who says he saw him walking through Rundle Mall last week. I know I don’t care anymore though, even if I do stop to listen to them speak.

5 comments:

  1. Still debating whether you want to know your dad, or not.

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  2. 31337 that is my place.... Firstieeee
    Do you want to see him? this is kinda sad i would want to know my papa

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  3. And after you know him, you may really not like him ...? I don't think so. It's always nice for fathers and their daughters. For boys, it's their mothers.

    Find the dude. He probably sees you, anyway. In the mornings, you walk past him. And he knows you don't recognise him, because he once bumped into you intentionally and you just said "Sorry, dad ... Oh, hah. Where did that come from? Hehehe. Silly me. Sorry, stranger." And you walked on ...

    Oh, whatevs. :o|

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  4. This makes me feel sad.I believe atleast wanting to know him will make you feel better than pretending you are indifferent coz deep down you really want to meet him

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  5. Oh sweet, this is so sad.

    Haven't u seen an old picture at least??? That should tell u something about what he looks like now.

    Sorry girl...but look how u turned out. Too good.

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