I traveled to see my father after 15 years!
SEPTEMBER 2019
I traveled to Germany and Italy for about 3 weeks in September of 2019. On September 18th, 2019, I took three different trains to arrive at a small town in Germany called Bad Sachsa.
Once I arrived, I got off the train and an older woman yelled “bus” and pointed in a certain direction. I walked towards her and I began conversing with a man waiting for the bus. He spoke no English, so it was me and my broken German. I took two years of German in college but wow, my German still sucks. He explained that he had a younger daughter and she would be thrilled to meet me. I agreed, even if I was terrified, but something told me that I was safe here.
When we got off the bus, his daughter and wife were waiting for us at the bus stop. We started to talk and I told them why I was there and they were so happy for me. So happy, that they offered me a place to stay and dinner, so I wouldn’t have to spend money on a hotel or food. So again, terrified I said “yes”. I don’t have words to explain how wonderful this family was. It was an instantaneous connection, completely surreal. They fed me, gave me a bed, and gave me a scarf and a sweater because it got cold at night.
The last time I saw my father, I was 8 years old and he passed when I was 11. This trip was a way of saying goodbye.
Later that day, I walked to the cemetery and I couldn’t find my father’s grave. I looked for 2 hours! Later that night, I messaged my older brother and his wife for some help and the next morning I went with one of the family members, Nazanin, to look for my dad together. She was the sweetest human I have ever met. I was so glad she was there, truly a blessing to have her company and support.
After what seemed like a treasure hunt, we found him. I couldn’t cry or feel sadness. All that came out of my mouth was “I’ve been looking for you since yesterday!” In my head, it felt like he just wanted to play hide and seek with me. It was the most beautiful moment, brief but beautiful. I had made a list of milestones, important moments, and gossip I wanted to tell him since I was 8 but I quickly learned that his younger sister and three sons were two blocks away from me.
My list got interrupted, but he wasn’t done planning more serendipitous encounters for me,
After leaving the cemetery, I was scheduled to take a train at 10 a.m. back to Berlin, and earlier that week my brother had sent me the phone number of our cousin who lives in Germany. They answered the phone and I said “Hello, this is Romy. The last time you saw me was probably when I was 9 years old, but I’m standing right outside your house in Bad Sachsa” They rushed out to greet me. My aunt Friedl had felt sick the week before so they were visiting her.
Bad Sachsa, Germany ~ The sky turned pink after walking home for the night.
I got to see my dad, family, his sister, and cousins that I hadn’t seen in a long time and now I can live happy that my dad is always there with me because I felt him every second of that whole trip. The sky was happy and I was happy.
Dedicated to:
Jasmin, Nazanin, and the family! Eternally grateful for having them there.