When I was growing up, I do not recall     1     (hear) the words “I love you” from my father. When your father never says     2     to you when you are a child, it gets more difficult for him     3     (say) those words as he gets older. To tell the     4    (true), I could not remember     5     I had last said those words to him either. I decided to change it and make the first move. After some hesitation (犹豫), in our next phone conversation I spoke out the words, “Dad … I love you!”

There was a silence at the     6     end and then he     7     (embarrass) replied, “Well, same back at you!”

I laughed and said, “Dad, I know you love me, and when you are ready, I know you     8     (say) what you want to say.”

A few weeks later, Dad ended our phone conversation     9     the words, “Paul, I love you.” I was at work during this conversation and the tears were falling down my face because I finally “heard” the love. As we both sat there in tears, we r    10     that this special moment had taken our father-son relationship to a new level.