Essay --

"Your father will be undergoing a triple bypass surgery. There a few minutes left before the procedure takes place and he is sent to the operating room." I could hear the doctor’s footsteps walking away rapidly. Was this real? I pinched myself to make sure of it. How could I be around the people I loved most yet feel so broken and alone? At that moment the strong scent of my father’s favorite Oscar De La Renta cologne was the only thing I could smell while holding his hand. Laying so lifeless, weak and in pain, my father looked at me while tears trickled down onto his soft cheeks. All night, the aroma followed me as a shadow everywhere I went. Starting to take in the smell, I slowly began enjoying it and the comfort it brought me. As I waited anxiously, I was preparing myself for the worse. Hours passed and nothing, just a silent hospital and a closed door with no sign of anyone. Yet, the only thing there in the air surrounding me was the scent of the cologne and it wou ld be for the next few hours, days and weeks of the emotional journey ahead of me. Being a first generation Amer...