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By Patrick Hurley Nov. 29, 2006 My daughter groggily emerged from her bedroom this morning as I was watching the final episode of, "The Bachelor." (Don't you just love TIVO!) She was on her way to class and as she mumbled, "Good morning, Dad," I got up and stopped her. "Good morning, sweet girl. Can I have a HUG?" She turned to face me and I looked into her soft brown eyes. She is not a morning person. Never has been. Never will be. I drew her in close to me and whispered, "I hope you have a wonderful day. I love you very much." Then, I let go and she smiled slightly and off she went... It was a brief moment in the life of a dad and his daughter. But, it was real and it touched me. Someday, the moments will become deeper and more meaningful....the day she graduates from college, the moment I walk her down the aisle to give her away to the man of her dreams...the night I pace outside the maternity room to meet my first grandchild...so many moments coming up in our lives. I love my daughter more than I have ever loved any person. Even when she is tired and incoherent. She is my baby, even at twenty-two years of age. For the past several days, I have been thinking of Dave Holloway. A dad who thinks about his daughter, Natalee, as much as I think about mine. I know he feels emotions for his baby every single hour. Not a few minutes go by when he is not thinking about how much he loves and misses her. Unless you are a dad, you can never understand that kind of love and commitment to your little girl. For no matter how old your daughter gets, she is always a girl to a dad. She is always sweet and cute and vulnerable and funny and wonderful and perfect...she is daddy's little girl and both parent and child feel it and revel in it. For so many people, the Natalee Holloway mystery was a media event that spun out of control because of the incessant coverage concerning a missing teenager. For others, it was confusing why the world was enamored with one child and two parents who captivated so much attention. For a few, it was anger that three boys took the unfair rap for causing her disappearance and death. For me, it was always about a daughter who vanished out of a father's heart one night without warning and without a final goodbye. There is no greater pain than to lose a child you love with all your heart without any hope of ever seeing her again. Selfishness. The attitude that the world owes someone a living. More specifically, the arrogance that a human life is not to be put on the same level as one's irrresponsible desires. For someone that night, it was just a couple of hours of fun that went terribly wrong because they grabbed what they wanted at the expense of a human soul. For the father who had misgivings about his precious child going down to a faraway island, it was the end of a very special relationship. An abrupt and devastating end that tore the heart and spirit from a parent who, in the depths of his being, sensed this nightmare coming... It would have been nice, in a perfect world, for the young men who coaxed Natalee into their car to respect and cherish her as much as her father did when they drove off on that fateful night. By the time they returned to their parents, Natalee was no longer in that car. In fact, she was no longer alive and preparing to come home to her own family. One moment she was happy and carefree and trusting three young men to take care of her and the next moment she was gone. At the moment she exhaled her last breath, her father was asleep in his bed safely ensconced under the covers of comfort not knowing that when he awoke, his Natalee would have vanished off the face of the earth. A parent never gets over that. Never. Dave Holloway will go to his grave loving his little girl and the odds are good he will never understand what made her disappear forever. His only clue is that the last person to see her alive was incredibly selfish and had no concern for a dad who would grieve forever because that person failed to behave in a manner worthy of what a vulnerable girl deserved on a dark beach alone and afraid when she suddenly realized this was not the kind of treatment her father had raised her to trust. My daughter is in class now. I am smiling to myself because I know she is still trying to wake up and comprehend what her teacher is saying to her. Her dream of someday teaching Russian history continues on because the people she has met up to this point have respected and protected her which brings me a huge sense of relief. Every time she walks out that door, I pray for the people who will encounter her and hope they will act unselfishly and kind to my little girl. I also pray for Dave Holloway every day because the dreams he had for his daughter are gone. My heart will always go out to him and to the love he will never forget...for the child who will never come walking back through his door. As you finish reading this, please stop and say a prayer for him, too. ------------ About the author:   Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California. Email: coolhumor@sbcglobal.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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