When I was growing up I do not recall hearing the words“I love you”from my father. When your father never says them to you when you are a child, it gets tougher and tougher for him to say those words as he gets older.To tell the truth, I could not honestly remember when I had last said those words to him either.I decided to set my ego aside and make the first move.After some hesitation, in our next phone conversation I blurted out the words，“Dad……I love you！”
There was a silence at the other end and he awkwardly replied，“Well, same back at ya！”
I chuckled and said，“Dad, I know you love me, and when you are ready, I know you will say what you want to say.”
Fifteen minutes later my mother called and nervously asked，“Paul, is everything okay?”
A few weeks later, Dad concluded our phone conversation with the words，“Paul, I love you.”I was at work during this conversation and the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finally“heard”the love.As we both sat there in tears we realized that this special moment had taken our father/son relationship to a new level.
A short while after this special moment, my father narrowly escaped death following heart surgery. Many times since, I have pondered the thought, if I did not take the first step and Dad did not survive the surgery, I would have never“heard”the love.
-aside [əˈsaid]adv.把……放在一边，把……搁置起来
典型例句
It is good to be able to cast aside winter clothes.
能把冬衣搁在一边了，真好。
最常用法
put sth.aside 把……放到一边
-hesitation [ˌhezɪˈteɪʃn]n.犹豫；踌躇
典型例句
There is no room for hesitation.没有犹豫的余地。
-conversation [ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃn]n.交谈；谈话；谈天
典型例句
I listened to their conversation.
我听到了他们的谈话。
最常用法
in conversation with 和……谈话
-awkwardly [ˈɔːkwədlɪ]adv.别扭地；拘谨地；尴尬地
典型例句
They smiled awkwardly at the camera.
他们在镜头前不自在地笑了。
联想记忆
awkward adj.尴尬的；笨拙的
-chuckle [ˈtʃʌkl]v.轻声地笑；暗自笑
典型例句
She chuckled with delight.她愉快地轻声笑了起来。
联想记忆
giggle v.咯咯地笑
-nervously [ˈnɜːvəslɪ]adv.神经质地；焦急地；提心吊胆地
典型例句
She ran her fingers nervously through her hair.
她紧张地用手指拢着头发。
联想记忆
nervous adj.神经的；紧张的；不安的
-surgery [ˈsɜːdʒərɪ]n.外科；手术
典型例句
He is preparing for the surgery.
他正在做手术前的准备。
联想记忆
operate v.动手术
在我成长的过程中，我不记得爸爸对我说过“我爱你”。当你还是孩子的时候，爸爸就从来没对你说过这些话，那么随着你年龄的增长，他就会越来越难开口。说实话，我也忘记了自己上次对他说那些话是在什么时候。我决定抛开我的面子，踏出第一步。一阵犹豫过后，在一次通电话时我突然冒出了一句：“爸爸……我爱你！”
电话的那端先是片刻沉默，然后他很不自然地回应说：“嗯，我也爱你！”
我轻声笑着说：“爸爸，我知道你爱我，我知道等你准备好了，你就会把想说的话说出来。”
一刻钟后，妈妈打电话过来紧张不安地问：“保罗，你没什么 事吧？”
几周之后，爸爸在挂电话前说了句“保罗，我爱你。”打电话时我正在上班，在终于“听”到爱的声音后，泪水还是顺着脸颊流了下来。在我们两人都坐在那里泪流满面时，我们知道这特别的时刻把我们的父子关系推上了一个新台阶。
这个特别时刻过后不久，爸爸就接受了心脏手术，不过有惊无险。从此以后，我时常在想，如果我没有迈出第一步，如果爸爸的手术不成功，我就不可能再有机会“听”到爱的声音了。