Abuse of a hero

There are some men in the world who really have a heart of gold. The kind that will stand by you no matter what happens, no matter what you say or do. My step dad is one of those men. Except he isn’t my step dad. He is my dad. He may not be my biological father but in our case, water is much thicker than blood. He raised me as his own and there were times that I know I had to of made it difficult for him. I don’t think he ever questioned his choice to step in though. I really don’t know what has this on my mind but I remember the time I told him he wasn’t my dad. I don’t remember why. I remember I was a teenager, and teenagers have a way of saying hurtful things without completely acknowledging the consequences. I don’t know how I could of been so malicious towards someone who was doing the absolute best he could with a child that according to blood, wasn’t his. To this day, I still regret my words. I wish I could go back and unsay them. That somehow I could take away the hurt I caused him. 

The thing is, he was my dad. He always has been and always will be. He has always been there to pick up the pieces. I remember one time in particular, I had a really rough day. The girls at school were being especially hateful, saying things that weren’t true and throwing as many dirty looks my way as they possibly could. I felt like I honestly could not do it anymore. I didn’t understand how people who really didn’t know me could hate me the way they did. I got home and didn’t even make it inside. I threw my books down and just sat crying in our driveway. My dad came out since I hadn’t gone inside, he sat next to me and I told him how I felt about everything. He said to me, “Dani, you have been my daughter since the moment I saw you. No matter what happens in your life, you will never be alone because you will always have me.” 

That man deserves an award for being who he is. An outstanding person, an amazing dad and an all around great man who I would not have been the same without. I am thankful for him. I am proud to say he is my dad. The best dad a girl could ever ask for.