The Father stretched his eyes wide toward his beautiful boy.
So close, his reflection stared back in the eyes opposite his. Adjusting to the sunlight, the boy’s pupils searched to see only what was right in front of him.
In this moment, the boy knew his Father, and the Father knew his son.
—
Desperate with shame, the boy reached his trembling eyes wide up toward his towering Father.
“Papa, I — I did something bad.”
Ridden with tears, the boy’s face turned back toward the ground.
Gently, the Father came down. Kneeling on both knees he looked at his son right in his brown eyes. Tilting up his chin, He wiped the tears away from his face.
“I love you,” whispered the Father.
—
“DO YOU EVEN KNOW THAT I’M HERE?” cried the boy.
The Father’s eyes stretched wide, unable to speak a word for he had spoken them already. He looked down at his son.
“WHY. WON’T. You. Just. Say something.”
Weeping, knees worn by the floor and shoulders bent from the weight, his eyes grew heavy, and the boy fell asleep.
—
“I thought you cared for me,” said the boy.
The Father’s eyes filled with tears.
Then, the boy left.
—
The boy’s eyes stretched wide, looking at the woman standing in front of him. His journey had taken him far from home, and the boy was lonely.
“This is not Love,” the boy decided.
—
Eyes wide against the night, the Father waited. He looked and he longed, ceasing to blink, as to not miss a single thing. It seemed as if even the trees groaned in harmony, ready to open their arms again to their beautiful boy.
“I miss you,” whispered the Father.
—
“Papa?” pleaded the boy.
Stretching his arms wide, the Father pulled the boy tightly into his chest. The Father wept.
Then, stripping his robe and tearing off his ring, the Father reached for his son, sitting him down to rest.
He began to wash the feet of his beautiful boy.
—
Once more, the boy reached his eyes up to meet those of his Father. The boy began to cry, the tears falling down the robe sitting upon his shoulders, clinging to the ring with which he wiped them away.
“You are enough for me,” said the boy.
The Father brought his eyes down to meet those of his son.
—
And for the first time, the son could see his own reflection in the eyes of his beautiful Father.
-Elijah
