Letters to a Stranger

It's been 19 years and I still don't really know my old man. I mean, it does make sense because I just met him 9 years ago.

My mother gave birth to me at such a young age. I think she was 17 or 18 when I was born. Gosh. Then my father went to prison before I was even a year old. From there on out, the struggles of a single parent and overbearing of a fatherless son made my mother's life difficult.

Growing up without a father wasn't too bad. I remember since the time I learned how to read and write, this mysterious man who told me to call him "daddy" would request letters from me to be sent at some prison in Plymouth, MA. I was a little kid. I didn't really understand what I was doing. I was suppose to share my love and compassion with some guy my mom trashed talked about every time he was brought up. This man was writing back saying he loved his son so much, and he misses me and that he wishes he could push me on a swing at a park instead of staring at concrete walls everyday. I didn't know what to do, so I wrote back telling him I miss him and love him too even though it felt like a chore and my mom was just forcing me to write to him so he wouldn't write angry letters to her about why I don't write enough.

I was 10 years old when this man showed up at my house;

Hey, do you remember me? 
No..?
I'm your dad!

The first few months of bonding with my father was very strange to me. Never have I ever grew up calling someone dad. My mom had her share with few other men, but I only saw them as monsters trying to take my mom away from me. 

Then he turned into a completely different guy. The first time he yelled at me was at my grandmas house. Ever since then, I never really liked talking to him and our relationship went through a spiraling roller coaster.

He tried to make it up now. Bought me a car for $1000 last year. And then I crashed it about 7 months later.

I don't want/expect him to buy me another car. I don't expect him to do anything for me anymore.  Right now, I'm hoping to get a second job at the most wonderful coffee shop, I'm moving out of my home into an apartment with friends, and try to save up enough money as I can. Maybe for another $1000 car.