Once Upon a Time

Dear World,

I'd like to tell you a story, about a girl and her dad. She loved him very much, even though he made her sad.

She never understood why her dad had to drink,
So every night she'd lay in bed and think, and think, and think.
The girl was 8 years old, when dad didn't come home one night,
She sat there for hours, hoping, that her dad would be alright.
In this story, of a girl and her dad, she loved him very much even though he made her sad.
It was her 10th birthday party, when dad said he would come over.
Why would he even say that?
He wasn't even sober.
The girl was 12 years old, when he said he would take her to the amusement park.
So she sat outside of her house, waiting for him until dark.
Dad never showed up that day, and that wasn't the first time.
Disappointment after disappointment,
Would you consider alcoholism a crime?
Or is it just an addiction, that we hope can go away.
I mean, should this girl actually waste her time, thinking God will listen if she prays?
And so the story continues, about a girl and her dad, she somehow STILL loved him, even though he made her sad.
It was her 16th birthday, yet nothing changes in this tale.
Dad still wasn't around, he was too busy sitting in jail.
So now the story continues about a girl and her dad. She loved him very much even though he made her sad.
Now, he may be the man of her dreams, and he may be the stars in her sky. But I think she knew it was time, for her and dad to say goodbye.
She couldn't take the pain, or the tears any longer.
This goodbye was going to kill her, yet somehow make her stronger.
So she built the wall to her heart, just like her mother had.
How do you walk away from a man that you once called Dad?
As for letting go, I think she had God to thank. He's the realest man I know, and that decision wasn't easy to make.
Even when she had nothing, He had given her more than she thought. Friends and family that love her, those are things that can't be bought.
It wouldn't matter if she had no home, or no money to buy food. Cause He had taught her to be grateful, respectful, and never rude.
He taught her to love herself, as well as to love others.
So here she was, loving, people like her mother, her father, and brothers.
But overtime she realized, just about anybody can hurt you. And life isn't about analyzing, all of the messed-up shit that you've been through.
The girl is only eighteen, but I think she's learned quite a lot. YES, she's made mistakes, but in this world, she has a special spot.
She's living every day, and now she is stronger than ever. The memories with her father, are ones she will cherish forever.
Those Sunday mornings in the living room, where he taught her how to dance. Those were the times she couldn't help herself, but give him another chance.
Or those fun nights in the kitchen, where he taught her how to cook.
There were a lot of things dad gave her, but a lot more things he took.
She always saw the best in him, because she knew that was the right thing to do.
He's shattered her heart into pieces, and now he shattered her family too.

So now, you know my story, about myself and my sick dad, I love him very much even though he makes me sad.
It sucks that I can't tell him, he's the best father a girl could have. He is finally out of my life, and that...

Well that makes me glad.

Alexa Guariglia