Uill Fergyuson

"As a parent? My fear is that when we die, we'll have to watch all those moments in our lives when we were short-tempered with our children, all the times they needed our love and we didn't give it, all those times we were distracted or in a bad mood, all the time we were angry or impatient."
"Dad," she said. "You were never angry. I don't think you ever raised your voice."
"Oh, there were times," he said. "You've just forgotten. Times when I brushed you or Warren aside instead of asking how your day was, those times I didn't listen to your stories. My fear is, when the time comes, I'll have to watch all those moments again. That they'll make us watch them before we can get into Heaven." He looked at here. "I'm sorry, Laura."
"There's nothing to be sorry about."
"But I am"
"Sorry" For what?"
"Just sorry. Sorry for the things I should have done, might have done, but didn't."

She should have said it then: You were a good dad. You always did your best. She should have said it, but didn't. She let the moment lapse into silence instead, let the silence pass into smoke.