The Last Promise

Samantha had not imagined her returning to the family home to be in these circumstances. The house, once used to her own laughter and cheerfulness, was now unoccupied, hollow as an empty shell. Years have passed since she last walked inside the house. She left after her graduation in high school and chased a dream that moved her away from the small town where she was previously the entire center of it all.

But now she stood in front of it, the white porch familiar but near forgotten, chipped and fading paint. There was a cloying nostalgia and regret thick in the air.

Her mother had called two days ago, her voice stretched tight with feelings. "Sam, your dad's not okay. I want you home."

Samantha had left all behind. Her dad had battled cancer for years, but her mother's tone of desperation explained to her that the time had come. She hadn't even realized how long it had been since she'd last seen him—the man who taught her to ride a bicycle, to fix a broken fence, and how to be strong in the midst of adversity.

As she entered through the front door, her eyes scanned at once for her father. He sat in his usual armchair beside the window, gazing out into the garden. The same garden where she had spent countless summer afternoons playing with her little brother, Ben. But now, her father was weak, his once-strong body reduced to something fragile.

"Hi, Dad," Samantha whispered, her voice breaking.

Her father slowly turned, a small smile furrowing his face. "Samantha… you're here."

His voice was gruff, but there was still a warmth to it. It was home.

"I'm here, Dad," she said, sitting down next to him. She wrapped his hand in hers, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry. I should've come earlier."

Her father weakly tightened her hand. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

Samantha's heart shattered. All those years working towards her own aspirations, all those calls and messages disregarded—she felt the weight of all that in that moment.

Ben, her little brother, walked into the room. While Samantha had stayed at arm's length, Ben had stayed close to home. He had been the one who had sat beside their father on those lengthy treatment days, the roller coaster of their father's condition.

"You did it," Ben said, his voice gruff. He grabbed Samantha briefly and then sat down across from her. There was a tense silence between them. The air between them wasn't just physical—it had been emotional too. They had drifted apart since Samantha came to the city, both of them caught in their own lives. Ben had stayed behind, a man in his own right but one rooted firmly in the family and its traditions.

"I know I've been away too long," Samantha whispered, her words shaking. "I wasn't there when you needed me, when Dad needed me… I've missed so much."

Ben took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "It's not that I am there every time. We all have our paths to follow. I get that. But, Sam, you have to understand. Dad's not doing well. He's been holding on, waiting for something. I think he's been waiting for you."

Samantha's throat tightened. She knew what Ben meant. Her father had always been proud of her, always supported her dreams, but it had never been easy for him to let her go. He had always wanted to see her succeed, but now it seemed he was hanging on just to catch one last glimpse of her.

Her father's voice broke through her daydream. "I have something I need to tell both of you," he said, his tone stern. "I've had a good life. I've been proud of everything I've done… but I don't want to leave anything unsaid. Sam, Ben… there's something I've been keeping from you. Something I swore to your mother.".

"I promised your mother that I would look after the two of you always," their father continued, his voice trembling. "That I would take care of you two so that you would always be together. No matter what."

Feelings began to surface in Samantha's eyes. "Dad, we'll be fine. You don't have to worry about us."

Her father nodded his head slowly. "It's not about being okay. It's about love. And knowing that no matter where life takes you, you will always have someone who understands, someone who has been through the same battle. The bond between the two of you. it's stronger than anything else."

The room became silent as her father's words took hold. Samantha realized how much she had taken for granted—how much she had overlooked by only considering her own universe, her own success. She had forgotten what truly mattered: family.

Her dad looked at her for the final time, his eyes full of love. "Promise me, Sam. Promise me you'll look out for each other. No matter where life takes you."

Samantha nodded, holding back tears. "I promise, Dad. I promise."

And with that, her father smiled, his last, peaceful smile, as if he knew that his family would be alright. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and just like that, the room was filled with a suffocating sense of finality.

Her father was dead.

But his ultimate promise—his ultimate wish—still lingered, more intense than ever before. And as for Samantha, it was something that she would keep. Whatever.

End