If your father never says to you “I love you” when you are a child, it   31  to be more and more difficult for him to say the words as he grows    32 
I do not   33  hearing the words from my father when I was growing up.   34 , I could not recall(回忆) when I had   35 said those words to him either.
One day, I decided to _36_ the ice and make the first   37_ . So in our next phone conversation I gathered all my _ 38  and let out the words in a low voice, “Dad… I love you!”
There was a   39  at the other end and he awkwardly   40 _, “Well, same back at you!”
I was unexpectedly   41  and my voice was raised, “Dad, I know you love me, and I know when you are ready, you will say what you want to say.”
Fifteen minutes later my mother called and   42  asked, “Paul, is everything okay?”
A few weeks later, Dad   43  our phone conversation with the words, “Paul, I love you.” I was so moved that tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finally “__44 ” the love. As I sat there in tears I realized that this   45  moment had taken our father-and-son relationship to a new   46 .Shortly afterwards, my father narrowly   47  death following heart surgery（外科手术）. Many times   __48 , I have   49  if I had not taken the first step and Dad not   50  the surgery, I would have never “heard” the love.