F-a-t-h-e-r

The once-ferocious man is now but a shadow of his former self. His menacing glare that used to make many kids cry has since become a mere lonely gaze at his children. The devil in him that messed up the altar in the house; the violent streak in him that had him fighting with his wife almost daily; the suspicious man who accused his wife of affairs in front of his kids; the lazy husband who quitted his job and made his wife the sole breadwinner for his family; the irresponsible father who was not a role model. Yes, this same man.

He has aged.

Gone are his smiles and jokes. His children no longer crowd around him, listening to all his childhood stories and life experiences. The unmaterialised divorce has cut off all forms of communication between him and his wife for the past decade. He is not the only lonely one. The wife is, too.

Because he refused to support the family financially, the wife has been the only one shouldering the burden, bearing the brunt of the mistake of her marrying this wrong man. For years, it has been so. Not once has he offered to help, choosing to drink and smoke all his now-salary away. This irresponsible father who caused a drift in the family, is he to be forgiven?

Does the possibility of him leaving this world, necessarily mean that he should be forgiven? Can he be forgiven?

He often sits quietly in a discrete corner, with eyes that seem so eager to talk, yet no one bothers. It's really disturbing, to have committed mistakes and not to be forgiven. To be judged for that same mistake for the rest of your life, by your only kins, while your life is wasting away. Yet, how does one forgive this person when the very mere sight of him triggers so much anger?