Inklings 2022

of the earth, and crows screeching through a gloomy sky. But, as my dad walked towards the front door, guilt start- ed creeping inside me, and out of nowhere, I shouted, “wait! I want to go”. After thirty minutes of Taylor Swift’s voice echoing through the car radio, accompanied by useless conversa- tion, we reached the graveyard. Holding my dad’s hand with my right hand and multi-colored roses with my left, we walked to where my grandmother rested. Standing over her grave, I had an empty feeling in my stomach, while my mind felt heavy with uncertainty. I stared and wondered if this woman I had never met would like me or even be proud of the person I was becoming. After a couple of minutes of silence, I realized I had been staring at the ground for a long time. When I finally looked up, I saw my dad in a state I thought I never would. Silently, almost as if he did not want me to no- tice, tears fell down his face. Sudden- ly, my dad was not my dad. He was a person with real feelings, and at that moment, he became so overcome with love and absence for his mom that he could not contain the mask he usually wore around me. This moment taught me what Thanksgiving was all about, showing gratitude for those you love, and most im- portantly, it allowed me to see my dad in a new light. J a m o r a A r r o y o - J e f e r s o n 30