She didn’t want to believe it was true. Her father was leaving that morning. She liked to think that the 8 month journey over seas wasn’t real. That any moment her father would come back and sweep her up in his strong inviting arms. They would go fishing every sunday after chapel and mama would always yell at her for getting herself dirty. She was in the bathroom pulling her long brown hair into a tight ponytail. She didn’t want to leave the comfort of her familys bathroom. For she knew as when she did, it would be time to leave for the train station. When she stepped out of the bathroom , they began the silent trip to the champlain local train station. After her family had said there goodbyes to her father, her time finally came. They hugged until he broke the silence with a verse of a poem. “The flower of the stem blooms more with courage to fight against the storm.” They kissed and hugged some more. When the whistle blew, she whispered in her dad’s ear, “Papa, don’t leave me, I love you.”