My dad did not know what it means to lose a parent
__ when he lost his father.
He was only 2.
My dad started life off on the wrong foot
__ struggled to get back on the right foot throughout his short life.
My dad never went to school.
He was illiterate,
__ it wasn’t his choice.
My dad’s only priority was to stay alive.
He tried to stay alive throughout his short life.
My dad had to work hard
__ every day of his life just to stay alive.
He wanted to read, but no one taught him.
My dad wanted me to read,
__ read and study are the same words in Turkish — “oku”.
He wanted me to study.
My dad wanted to read, but he only recognized the letters.
He took me to court to get my birth date adjusted
__ so I could start school early.
My dad wanted to see me reading.
He wanted me to become a civil engineer
__ since he worked at construction sites and admired the educated ones.
My dad saw me reading for the first time,
He cried.
My dad was able to write his name, and he was good at math,
__ but he was illiterate.
He was able to take care of his wife and three kids
__ without being able to read anything other than his name.
My dad was socially capable,
__ he lived his entire life without being able to read.
He wanted to read,
__ but I never thought of teaching him to read.
My dad was very proud when I was accepted to college.
He always said he might choose to starve to get me anything I needed
__ so I just study.
My dad wanted me to be the first college graduate in the family.
He always asked me to stay away from trouble.
My dad was never hungry
__ when we had to buy something to eat outside.
He wanted me to eat what I wanted.
My dad lost his health at the age of forty.
He looked older than other dads who were sixty.
My dad wanted to see me graduate,
__ I wanted to teach him reading.
My dad was 3 years away from fifty when he passed away
__ I was 3 years away from graduating.
HD.
