It wasn't long before my grim predictions about Dad came true. He was watching TV and wheezing away. He passed with Kathleen and me at his side. I was a slow death but not painful. Dad said no last words and made sign that he was frightened. I think he was ready to go.
We were all devastated, even Kathleen, who had become close to him since moving in with us. I was sad and scared. I was now left to be the man of the house and finish bringing up my little brother.
We all threw ourselves into our hobbies. I painted, Kathleen played her guitar and Harry read books all the time. When he read, he could disappear into a different world. Sometimes, he took comfort from reading on Dad's bed or sitting where Dad was when he passed.
Harry had a particularly tough time in the days and weeks to follow, his girlfriend, Joni, left him, and he had no friends to talk to. I really felt for him and tried my best to comfort him, but I wasn't his Dad, and I'd never make a good enough replacement for the one he'd lost.
The house fell into an awful state as we grieved for our lost family member. Kathleen tried her best to clean up the house but, she too had been hit hard by Dads passing. No one was too fussed at the state of the house, we never had any visitors to impress anyway.
It was a week or so after Dad's death that I went to visit his grave. He didn't want a big fuss or even a funeral and I respected his wishes. He was buried next to mum in a quiet corner of the graveyard. I mourned for both of them and I was devastated that they wouldn't be at my wedding. It wouldn't be the same without them.