My dad is full of surprises, he might be goofy at times but I can tell he loves me. One day we talked all about camping and had a bunch of fun misadventures from there.
Dad: Actually, I don’t think camping will be a good plan for now. Maybe for next time. How about…. Disneyland?
Me: Dad, but I want to go camping (in a protesting tone).
Dad: Okay, let's draw 10 chits, 5 for forest camping and 5 for Disneyland, and then randomly select three chits. The place we get in the random selection has more numbers, will be our destination place. Deal?
Me: Okay, deal.
Dad: I am going to prepare the chits. oh, and please bring me a glass of water, I need to take my medicine.
Me: okay (giving a suspicious look to Dad).
Meanwhile, dad prepared the chit and I bought him the glass of water.
Me: Dad, here’s your glass of water.
Dad: Thank you. I have prepared all the chits and also, I am thinking of making something special today.
Me: After the chit selection, daddy.
Dad (with a big smile on his face): Okay, I am mixing the chits, you will take out 3 chits randomly in 3 rounds, okay?
Me: Okay. Here’s round 1.
I took out one chit. It says Disneyland. One vote is for Disneyland.
Dad: Yes, I got one vote.
Me: 2 votes are remaining, so hold your horses' dad.
Dad (Chuckling): You already know how generous I am. Select the chit for round 2, let’s see what it says?
Me: okay (the chit for round 2 says Forest camping) yay.
Dad: Last round, we’re tied, let’s go!!! One vote to go!!!
Me: Yea, sure. The chit for round 3 says….. Disneyland (in a sad tone).
Dad: OH YESSSS!!!! Let’s start packing for Disneyland. But before that, let’s make dinner together.
Me (still in a sad tone): Okay, you go, I will join you.
Dad: Sure.
Me: Let me just have a look at all the chits one by one (thinking that he never needed water and something seemed fishy).
All the chits say Disneyland except one. Oh, Dad!!! You and your gimmicks….
After few minutes, I joined my dad for dinner preparation;
Me: What are we preparing for dinner today?
Dad: Our favorite dish, fish and chips.
We prepared dinner, ate it together, and then went to our rooms for packing (thinking in my mind, how can he did something like that with his only daughter). After completing my packing, I went off to bed and slept.
My eyes open up to dad’s voice early in the morning.
Dad: Get up, get up. We are getting late.
Me: But dad, why will we go to Disneyland at 5 in the morning?
Dad: Because we are not going to Disneyland, we are leaving for camping in the forest.
Me: Suddenly, I opened my eyes wide open and stared at my dad, wait, what? What did you just say?
Dad: You heard it, right Get ready.
Me: Weren’t we supposed to go to Disneyland. What happened?
Dad: I can’t see you all sad like that, you are the apple of my eyes, sweetie.
I jumped up from my bed and packed a few things that I would be needing in the forest.
Dad: See, how much I love you.
Me: Dad, I know you cheated in the chit rounds. I cross-checked all the chits.
Dad (Glaring): That’s for fun. I had already decided that we are going forest camping.
Me (in a suspicious tone): Really?
Instead of replying, dad kept listening to the birds chirping.
Me: Okay, dad. Let me get ready and complete my packing.
Dad: Sure, I am waiting outside. I have already packed my stuff accordingly.
Me: If you had told me about this plan, we would be going now. But now, I have to repack and that’s going to take some time.
Dad: That would have ruined the surprise. How else could I have seen your face light up so brightly?
Me (smiling): I love you, dad.
Dad: I love you too, sweetie. Now hurry up or will be late.
I packed my bag and dressed for the occasion.
Dad: let's go.
Then we put our bags and all the necessary items in our camper. Started our 2 days’ long journey.
On our way to the forest. My dad kept telling me all that he knew about the forest, what essential supplies you should take in a forest, and how beautiful the place was where we were going, and about the lake that was situated where we were going. He told me about the dos and don’ts of the forest. What important equipment you should have during your stay. You should have plenty of water and food to survive there and how to keep yourself safe from wild animals. Moreover, the circumstance of a person in the forest can change drastically so you can never be too careful. We can take a camping tent too if we want to stay in the middle of the forest. He also told me there are loads of animals in the forest. Just then, a joke popped into his mind:
Dad: We are just 5 minutes away from our destination and your desired place.
Me (Excited and all attentive): We’ll take a lot of pictures of the scenery and animals.
Dad: Yes, but your safety comes first. You won’t be going too far in and do not put yourself at the stack no matter what happens, promise me?
Me (in full excitement and mesmerized with the forest beauty): Yes, promise dad.
We reached at 11 in the morning in the forest with all the essential equipment. Parked our camper safely and started to explore the forest. The forest has different types of insects and birds and big pine trees with few additional unique species.
We decided to start by fishing. We collected some bricks to prepare fresh lunch for us. After that, we went to the lake, decided to eat fresh fish, and grill it on the bricks. We took our fishing rods with us. When we were on the way to the lake, dad said:
Dad: Let’s see who catches the fish first.
Me: Oh, you’re on!
Dad: We will see. By the way, do you know the difference between a guitar and a fish?
Me: They both are two different things, dad.
Dad: No.
Me: Then?
Dad: You can tune a guitar but can’t tuna fish.
Me (facepalm): Oh, Dad!!!
Dad: Tuna fishes are really tasty, by the way.
Me: I have heard about the taste. Let's try our luck today.
Dad: While sitting for fish hunting, they do not get caught up so easily. We have to work hard for that and we don’t have all the tools for that too. Maybe, I will get you a tuna fish some other day, sweetie.
Me: Sure, dad.
Dad: I think I got one!!!
Me: But I haven’t any.
Dad: Keep trying, we want fishes for dinner too.
Me: Oh yeah, I forgot that, thanks for reminding me.
Dad: No worries.
Me: I think I got one too, daddy. Can you help me pull it out?
Dad: Sure. By the way, I have caught two fishes, sweetie.
Me: One more and we will be done for the rest of our day.
Dad: You bet sweetheart.
When we were returning from the lake with our freshly caught fishes, we saw a frog on the way that popped a joke in my dad’s mind and he asked me:
Dad: How did the frog burn its tongue?
Me: It swallowed fire, maybe?
Dad: No
Me (chuckling): It ate something spicy.
Dad (with a big smile): You are close now.
Me (chuckling): I am a bit disappointed in myself, I thought I got it right….
Dad: It’s easy. The frog tried to eat a firefly.
Me (Chuckling): Oh, Dad!!! It was a good one.
Dad (Smiling): They are all good, thank you very much!
We reached back to our camper where we had collected the bricks. Dad started a fire and we started grilling the fish after covering them with some spices we had brought. After they were done, we sat outside the camper to eat.
Me (in a scary tone): Dad I saw something.
Dad: What? Where?
Me: I guess, there is someone else here too.
Dad: Oh, I forgot to tell you that the forest is haunted.
Me: What??? Why didn’t you tell me that, dad?
Dad: I thought it wasn’t important.
Me: Yes it was!!! Daddy, you forgot to tell me there are ghosts in the forest??? Seriously!!!
Dad: Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you unless you interfere with them. Besides, I used to visit this place with your mom (all the memories of the past flickering in his mind like a spotlight) quite a lot …. I know each and everything here. The person you just saw now lives near here in the forest and he’s not a ghost.
Me (fear flickering from my voice): Is he dangerous?
Dad: No, he is not dangerous at all, he is very kind and polite. He helps those who got stuck here in the forest and is not a ghost as per your assumption.
Me (in a relaxed tone): I was expecting something supernatural.
Dad: I am not denying they are not present here but they won’t harm us. Nevertheless, I think we don’t need to do dinner as we have already eaten a lot. We should do a bonfire here for a while and then go to sleep.
Me: Okay, let's collect some wood from the nearby areas and get the fire going.
Dad: Yes, we should collect the wood and fire it before it gets too dark.
Me: I saw some woods on the right side of the camper. We can take them.
Dad: Sure.
We collected the woods and sat them to fire. I and dad, both sat against the fire and caught up on a lot of things. After a while:
Dad: I am not feeling well. I don’t know why.
Me: Have you taken your medicines?
Dad: Oh, no. I forgot.
Me: Dad, how can you be so irresponsible with your medicines? Do you remember what the doctor told you?
Dad: Oh, Well… I may be just thinking that I forgot to take the medicine. Or did I?
Me: Let me go get them.
Dad: No, I will take them myself. I think I should sleep now as I think I am just feeling the effects of our long drive.
Me: Maybe. Yes, you should sleep.
Dad went off to sleep in the camper. When he started to snore, I got inside after a few minutes while dad was asleep. I checked if he had taken his medicine, upon which, I found that dad forgot to bring his medicines with him. I felt sad and decided that we would leave early in the morning as nothing is more important to me than my father’s health after having breakfast and I slept.
Dad woke me up for breakfast in the morning. We had bought bread, butter, and jam with us and had an electric kettle with us. After having breakfast I said;
Me: Dad, I think we should leave. I am done with this place. Can we go home now?
Dad: But why? Sweetie, just yesterday, you wanted to completely explore this place. What’s wrong now?
Me (confused): I have thought of another place to explore (sounding goofy like my dad).
Dad: Alright, where is that?
Me: I will let you know once I get back.
Dad: Is this your final decision, you don’t want to explore this place anymore?
Me: We will come here some other time.
Dad: Okay then we should pack our stuff and make our way back home.
Dad was somehow convinced to leave as per my wish but he didn’t look happy. On our way back home (it was a long route) and my dad can’t keep quiet for long, so he started his goofy jokes again. However, he looked down today. We reached home in the evening. As soon as we got home.
We were clearing the camper from our bags and taking things inside the house when dad said:
Dad: I am not feeling well at all.
Me (in a fretful tone): Why dad? What had happened?
Dad: I haven’t taken my medicines since yesterday. I think this is happening because of it.
Me: Come with me and sit in the launch. Let me bring something for you to eat and your medicines too.
Dad: Don’t worry. I will be fine.
Me: You don’t take your medicines seriously daddy!!!
Then I ran toward his room to get his medicines. When I came back, daddy had fainted on the sofa. I got close to him trying to keep my calm and asked him to wake up. But he wasn’t responding. I started panicking and called the ambulance instantly. The ambulance was at our home in 3-4 minutes and we took him to the hospital.
After the complete checkup, the doctor said:
Doctor: He should take his medicines properly as it might become a serious problem soon if he doesn’t. and as funny as it may sound, instead of taking his medicines, he was taking mint drops that look just like his pills (shows a bottle with no label and mint drop pills). That is why his blood pressure and sugar levels both were fluctuating badly when he was brought here. He is fine for now, but you need to take care of him when he’s discharged.
Me: Sure, doctor.
Doctor: Please keep a check on his medicines.
Me: Can I see him now?
Doctor: Yes, you can.
Me: Thank you, doctor.
I got inside the patient’s room and waited for him to wake up. When we woke up, he looked at the ceilings and doors, and all the medical equipment around him and realized he was in the hospital.
Dad (smiled while looking at me): Do you know why bananas were brought to the hospital?
Me (tears flickering in my eyes): No.
Dad: Because the banana was peeling badly.
Me (a small smile appears on my face with tears in the eyes): Oh, Dad!!! How are you feeling now? You had scared me to death this time.
Dad: I am a lot better. How are you?
Me: I am fine. Dad, why weren’t you taking your medicines? Why were you taking mints instead?
Dad (shocked and murmuring): err… umm…
Me: Dad, how can you do this to me? Why don’t you take care of yourself? The doctor strictly said that you should take your medicines on time without any delay, no excuses. You know how much I love you, daddy. Do you have any idea what I went through? I am sorry I couldn’t give you enough time, but if you want me to keep smiling, then please daddy take your medicines on time. Promise me?
Tears rolled down his cheeks and I could tell he was serious for once. He was going to take his medicine on time from now onwards.
The doctor discharged my dad from the hospital and after a few days of rest, he was back to his healthy routine and I was back to my school. One day, I was doing my homework when dad came out of nowhere and asked me:
Dad: Why can’t you trust atoms?
Me: Is atom a thing to trust, dad?
Dad: You didn’t give me my answer?!
Me: I don’t know.
Dad: Because they make up everything.
Me (head palm): Oh, Dad!!!
Whatever he says and how goofy his jokes are, he always brings a smile to my face no matter the situation. He just wants to keep me happy all the time; he’s my source of hope and inspiration. A father’s place is something else in the heart of a daughter that she can’t give to anyone else. You just can’t. My father is how he is; silly, caring, supporting, goofy, and everything to me.