A glimpse into my father's childhood

When I first went to Madeira my parent’s hometown, it was in the year 1999. I was six years old, although I was too young to clearly remember all, I could experience the childhood of my father.

Madeira was a familiar place, where it seems everyone knew you and was part of your family. Wherever I went, my parents would introduce me some cousin.

But it was that little, sweet and comfy house in Sao Roque that made me love Madeira.

I used to sleep in the same bed he did, it was a bunk bed. One of his brother will sleep above and my dad under his bed.

The bunk bed was next to a small window, behind it, there was a little cabinet in the wall, made by my father when he was young. He always saved his comics there; he even installed a light bulb behind the bed from above, so that he could read at nights.
Often I would be afraid of the dark, therefore I always turned on the light bulb and while I wasn’t sleepy I would read my father’s comics.

There were all kind of old and fun caricatures for example comics from Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and the squirrels Chip and Dale. But my favorite one was Beetle Bailey; it was a fun comic about soldiers and the military service.

As well sometimes I would escape through that window, which my dad also used to escape back in his rebel days. However I didn’t go too far like him, I only went to the rooftop, one of my favorite places.

My grandparents rooftop, was full of different kind of flowers and plants; that place was also were they did the laundry. But more importantly from that rooftop you could see the whole downtown the Funchal; the church, the shops, the street lights, the cars and more far away you could distinguish the port and the ocean which his ships.
It is a beautiful view, even more at night. It was an excellent place to go to clear your thoughts and relax your mind, along with a cup of warm coffee or a cigarette like my father used to.

The last time I went to that rooftop was in the year 2007 in Christmas eve.
That time I had to go by myself, because my father doesn’t longer exist in the world, he passed away that same year around January. Since his death I never cried, but that day I did.

Once I was back to my father’s house, I remembered all his stories about his childhood and all of those memories he shared with me. I never thought they would be important or representative, but that day I was grateful that I had the chance to have a glimpse into my father’s life.