His face softened, and when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
‘Do you really see me like this?’
I took a deep breath and stopped playing my part.
‘Yes, Dad. That’s exactly how you treat us and Mum.
You’re always too busy for us, and you treat Mum like she’s only here to serve you.’
Josh nodded, his voice calm.
‘She works as hard as you do, but she also runs the whole house.
And all you do is complain.’
Dad’s shoulders slumped and guilt was reflected on his face.
Before he could say anything, Mum walked through the door.
Her eyes widened when she saw us all.
‘What’s going on here?’ she asked, shifting her gaze from us to Dad.
Dad looked at her and there were tears in his eyes.
‘I…I think I’ve been a terrible husband and father.
I’m so sorry.’
Without another word, he headed for the kitchen, and we watched in stunned silence as he began rummaging through the cupboards.
‘Making dinner! Anyone want flatbread?’ he called out, surprising us all.
We sat down at the table, still in shock.
Dad came out of the kitchen with a steaming pot and began to give us our treats, apologising for every spoonful served.
‘I’ve been ignoring all of you, and now I see it,’ he said sincerely.
‘I promise I’ll change.’
As we ate together, Dad started asking us about school, about our day – things he hadn’t done in years.
It was weird, but in a good way.
Josh and I exchanged glances, both of us not believing what was happening.
Maybe it was actually working.
After dinner, Dad smiled at us – a real smile.
‘Thank you,’ he said quietly.
‘For waking me up. I needed it.’
‘We’re just glad you heard us,’ I replied, feeling a warmth in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Josh smiled.
‘Now, since you’re listening to us, why don’t you play PlayStation with us?’
Dad laughed, a sound I missed.
‘Deal. But first, let’s clean up together.’
As we cleaned up, something seemed to change.
For the first time in years, we weren’t just part of the daily routine.
We were a family again.
It wouldn’t become perfect overnight, but it was a good start.
And it was enough.