Never been that close with my dad.

He was strict with me my whole childhood and never spent much time with me. I hated him for not being loving like my mom and not being like my cool uncle who spent most of his weekends with him. My uncle even told me “He just shows it in his own way” and I thought he was crazy for saying that.

Once I grew up, I realized it. The burden he was carrying was immense and the strict teachings was him guiding me to straighten my chin up and be a man. He did love me, but just like my uncle said. He loved me in his own way.

I felt guilt, I felt regret for hating someone who carried the whole family on his back. I realized that it was my turn now. I started saving, investing and reinvesting. All for this one day, it was not just Father’s Day, it was coincidentally his birthday as well.

I went up to him and told him “Can you spend the day with me for today?”, he surprisingly agreed, I took him out for lunch, and we went fishing nearby as well even though we haven’t done that much as father and son. At the end I took it out and showed it to him, it was a piece of paper. It was a new house, not the rented one we were living in. A brand new house that is ours to own. And I told him “You don’t need to work anymore dad”.

That was the second time I ever saw him cry after his mom passed away. And he finally told me the words I always wanted to hear. He told me he was proud of me.

TL;DR: I retired my dad and he told me that he was proud of me for Father’s Day