When my estranged father, who left 20 years ago, called from his deathbed, I was torn between anger and curiosity. His final wish revealed shocking truths.
I was getting ready for bed when an unfamiliar number called, followed by a text: “ALICE, THIS IS YOUR DAD. PLEASE CALL, I AM IN THE HOSPITAL.” My heart stopped. Dad? After twenty years? Curiosity won, and I called back.
“Dad?”
“Alice, it’s me. I… I don’t have much time.”
“Why are you calling now?”
“I need to explain… to ask something of you. But please, don’t tell your mother.” He revealed that my grandfather paid him to disappear because he thought Dad was a failure. “I took the money to secure your future.”
“Why didn’t you come back?”
“I couldn’t. But I watched from a distance, saw your graduation, your volleyball games.”
I felt my world tilt. “Why didn’t Mom tell me?”
“Maybe she thought she was protecting you.”
“What do you want now?”
“I need to see you, Alice. One last time before I go.”
I decided to go. At the hospital, he looked frail. “Alice,” he whispered.
“Why did you do it, Dad?”
“I thought it was the best way to secure a future for you. I wrote letters every year. They’re in a safety deposit box.”
After his death, I found the letters. They were filled with his regrets and love. I confronted Mom, who admitted she thought it was best for me too.
In the end, I used the money to start a scholarship fund in his name, honoring his memory and sacrifices.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Beaches in the World
Hawaii’s Kilauea Hawaii is well-known for its magnificent beaches, huge waves, and ideal weather for tanning, but it’s not without its risks. Hawaii is home to many volcanoes, the most active of which is Mt. Kilauea.
Kilauea beach has black sand due to volcanic ash, and although it’s a great spot to visit, there’s always a chance of the volcano erupting.
Mexico’s Playa Zipolite #2
Even though the moniker implies that this is the “beach of the dead,” a lot of people still come here each year, despite this warning.
3 Australia’s Fraser Island
Unfortunately, because of the hazardous jellyfish and sharks that inhabit the waters, Fraser Island is a paradise that is off-limits to humans. The island is home to some of the deadliest spiders in the world as well as a few huge crocodiles, so the beach is equally perilous.
4 South Africa’s Gansbaai
5 County of Volusia, Florida
6 India’s Chowpatty Beach
7 Bikini Atoll, US Islands of Marshall
The waters are teeming with sharks, and from 1946 until 1958, the area served as a nuclear weapons test site.On the islands, some 20 nuclear bombs were detonated, causing radioactive fallout. After all, the location has been deemed safe by the authorities.
8.Russia’s Schitovaya Bukhta
Although Schitovaya Bukhta is renowned as one of the best places in the world for surfing, it is also home to a number of military installations.
9.Antarctica’s Heard Island
10 Andaman Islands’ North Sentinel Island
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