He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 361

Sitting there now, Juniper realized that all her memories of him were suffocatingly painful.

It was incredibly pathetic—a father and daughter, and she couldn't even think of a single thing to talk about.

The bitter words clogged her throat. Searching through an endless sea of grievances, she miraculously managed to fish out a few rare, happy moments.

"Dad, the specialists told me to talk to you more. Do you remember when you and Mom first left for the city to work? I was just starting elementary school and couldn't go with you. When you came back, you brought me a butterfly hairclip with so many colors on it. Mom told me you saw it in the store and insisted it would look perfect on me. I wore it everywhere, and all the other kids were so jealous."

"Then there was that year an elder in another town got sick, and we had to walk four hours through the mountains. I was so little, I kept tripping over my own feet. You were carrying a heavy basket on your back, but you eventually put me inside it, making me sit on an empty milk crate. The wind up there felt amazing. I rode on your back and squealed with excitement for the whole trip."

"Oh, and remember when bamboo copters were the trend? We didn't have any money, but you used to learn carpentry from Grandpa. I was so jealous watching the other kids buy theirs at the store. They flew so high, but I was too embarrassed to ask you for money because I knew we were broke. But when I got home, you had carved one out of wood for me. You hadn't forgotten your skills. You made it with your own hands, and I showed it off for weeks. It flew higher than anyone else's."

As she recounted the stories, a soft, genuine smile finally touched her lips.

Walter lay flat on the bed, tears streaming continuously down his face.

Juniper paused for a few seconds, grabbed a tissue, and gently dabbed his tears.

Walter could hear her now, but his body remained entirely paralyzed, as if his pressure points had been locked.

"Dad, the one thing I'll always be grateful for is that, even though you and Mom barely had any education, you never forced me to get married young. You always said you'd sell everything you owned just to keep me in school, to make sure I went to college and became someone capable. I used to wonder what it truly meant to be capable. Studying was agonizingly hard, especially in high school. I barely slept four hours a night. But I'm so grateful to both of you. Education really can change a person's destiny. In that regard, I'm the one who failed you. I got greedy. I was naive enough to think I could balance my studies and falling in love."

She fell silent, quietly wiping his tears.

She sat there until noon, not feeling the slightest bit hungry. Lately, her body's response to hunger had been terribly delayed.

Walter continued to lay motionless. The specialists came in for a few more checkups and noted that her talking was having a positive effect.

But Juniper didn't know what else to say. She had already run out of happy memories.

She stayed until eight o'clock that evening, right up until Nelson appeared at the door.

Juniper frowned. Logically, he had no reason to be at this hospital.

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