The long goodbye When you look into the emptiness, the emptiness looks right back - Runa Maharjan http://bit.ly/1Pj1fAC

I am glad your uncle Ramesh took this photograph of us. The first time I got to hold my princess. I felt that your sparkling eyes were searching for me—that you recognised me. I felt that you would say Baba at that very moment. You were not crying—just looking at me. I was already a proud father with you in my arms. I made promised to myself then that I would always be there for you.
This one is a picture of your first day at school. You were so excited to wear the new school uniform of yours. I had ironed it twice on your request—a blue shirt and a white skirt. Your mother dressed you up so neat. Then you came to me to flaunt your new look and your new school bag. You looked ready to take on the world.
But that was short-lived. No sooner the schoolbus came to pick you up, you broke down in tears. The way you were crying over my shoulders, I thought I would never send you to school.  Thankfully, your mother had the guts to carry you to the bus, or otherwise I would have never sent you to school.
Here is another photograph. This one is when you were recovering from Typhoid. I also remember that night as if it was yesterday. Your mother and I had to take you to the hospital at dead of the night, as you puked everything you ate. That entire week that your were in the hospital, I could not catch any sleep. It was like the storm was brewing in my mind, and it did not recede until you had completely recovered. There is little else you can do when things are not in your control anymore.
I still have nightmares of the day your mother left us. That mundane Sunday morning which suddenly turned our lives upside down. At that street corner when her car was hit by truck, I heard she died instantly. I was not there with her. Your mother and I—we used to talk of how if we had to leave this world, then we would leave it together.
At that time, I could not have survived if you were not there standing beside me. I know you cried all night. I could hear you scream your mother’s name, but next morning you held a brave face. When I could not even handle myself, you had faith in me. Every single day you told me that I had to move on. I had to show courage. You told me that your mother would not be happy if she

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