Daddy Is Right Here
He closes his eyes and goes to sleep. Gohan cries while talking to him, saying he won't forget him. Then pretty ChiChi puts me down on my daddy's tummy. I like laying on his tummy…it always makes me go up and down, and he always hugs me. Waiting to be hugged, I giggle softly.
Something is wrong! Daddy isn't waking up to hug me! ChiChi has to make his arm move to go around me. Why is there water coming from her eyes? Why is there water coming from Gohan's eyes? Why won't my daddy wake up?!
I look back at my daddy's face. He looks sad, but calm too.
Something IS wrong! I can feel him getting further away, but he isn't moving anywhere! I can always feel his soul next to mine when we're together. But his is moving away! Daddy, where are you going? Daddy, are you leaving me?! Why isn't your tummy going up and down anymore?! Daddy, don't leave me! No! Daddy! DADDY!!! DADDY!!!
Emptiness. It hurts! Daddy is gone! He is gone but I can still see him! I don't understand!!!
Frustrated, missing daddy, I start to wail until all I can hear are my own cries. Pretty ChiChi picks me up and holds me, but it doesn't help. I want my daddy back! I want to cuddle with him! I want to hear him talk to me! My crying gets so loud that Pretty ChiChi starts to sing to me, and I go to sleep. I didn't dream like I usually do. All I could see was my daddy's face, so pale and sad, yet so calm.
The sun comes up and goes down several times before something happens. Pretty ChiChi and Gohan are wearing black clothes and Pretty ChiChi dresses me in black as well. Then she carries me while Gohan carries her, and we fly to a big place by the desert. We're going to see daddy again, right? Yes, we are!
I can see daddy! He's laying inside a long black box with white pillows inside. Is the lid up so he won't get too hot?
I guess it's so comfy that he doesn't want to wake up. But why can't I feel him? It always felt like a warm blanket when he was next to me! Now I feel nothing. Nothing!
A man wearing a long black robe starts talking, saying stuff about my daddy.
"Piccolo was born on May 9th…" I ignored him and looked at daddy. What is 'born'? Still, that other man kept talking. "…He died on…" Again, I ignored him and looked at daddy, waiting for him to wake up. What is 'died'? Is that why he doesn't want to wake up?
I look up at Pretty ChiChi, then Gohan. Both of them are crying. Pretty ChiChi carries me closer to daddy, and I smile at him. Smiles always wake him up…but not this time. Pretty ChiChi leans down and kisses daddy's lips. Will that wake him up? I wait to see if he does, but he doesn't.
Daddy…
Pretty ChiChi is crying again. She carries me away from my daddy and back to where we were before. Gohan is standing by the black box of a bed with water streaming down his face. When he moves away, someone closes the lid to the box daddy is sleeping in.
No! Daddy can't breathe in there!
I watch as the black box is lowered into a long hole in the ground. Daddy will come out, won't he? Won't he?!
Nothing happens.
Dirt is thrown into the hole with little plop-plop noises.
Still, nothing happens.
I don't understand…is daddy gone?
"Doramu…" Pretty ChiChi talks quietly with water coming from her eyes. She kisses my cheek and hugs me tight. I squirm a little because I want daddy to hug me. But daddy isn't even trying to wake up.
I know! Maybe they're just making it dark so he can sleep better. It's always dark underground! So when daddy rests long enough, he'll just climb out and come back to me. I'll see him again.
A long time goes by, and I wake up to find Gohan holding a really BIG book. I crawl up to it and pull myself up. That's right! I'm learning how to crawl and walk! I hope daddy comes back soon so I can show him!
Gohan opens the book and I see my daddy! Lots of him too! He doesn't move here either, but at least I can see his eyes. He is awake here.
I feel so happy to see him that I smile up at Gohan, who looks a little sad. He is putting more of daddy onto the paper, using sharp things and sticky milk.
Does he know daddy is awake in there? Does he know daddy is OK? I have to tell him that daddy is here… But before I can start crying, something comes into my head. It does something funny to my mouth when it opens. A funny sound comes out right as I point my finger at my daddy on the paper.
"Da-da."
I blink at myself, then up at Gohan who is looking down at me. He smiles with water in his eyes and says, "That's right. Da-da."
He understands! He knows daddy is here! Because Gohan is smiling, I smile too, and help him to close the big book. Now I know I can make daddy disappear and reappear by closing and opening the book. He will always be there, even if he can't talk to me.
Gohan picks me up before I can think anymore about it, and he takes me into the room with the big funny window. He feeds a small box to a bigger box and the funny window comes to life.
Daddy! I see my daddy falling over and laugh. Daddy is so silly!
I see another moving picture of him. This time he's holding something little in his hands. I can hear him talking to it real quiet like he talks to me. The picture switches again, and I see Pretty ChiChi kissing my daddy. Awww!
Daddy's face soon takes up the whole window. I try to touch him, but the glass gets in the way. That doesn't matter. I can see daddy and I can hear him.
Daddy isn't gone.
Daddy is right here.