Chapter 6 - DAD FINALLY SAID THE WORD
Dad resisted responsibility for months.
He said:
“I made mistakes.”
Grandma said:
“Which ones?”
He said:
“I should’ve supervised Kelsey better.”
I said:
“You were in the videos.”
He said:
“I got carried away.”
His therapist apparently hated that phrase.
Good.
Six months after the birthday, Dad requested a family meeting.
Grandma.
Me.
Dad.
A counselor.
No Kelsey.
He sat across from me.
“I exploited you.”
The room went silent.
I had never heard him use the word.
He continued.
“I told myself I was providing for the family.”
His eyes filled.
“Then I started measuring whether a day was good by whether the video performed.”
I said nothing.
“When you cried, I thought about views.”
That hurt.
He did not look away.
“When Grandma complained, I thought she was old-fashioned.”
He swallowed.
“When you asked me to stop filming, I thought you didn’t understand how much work it took to pay for things.”
Then:
“You understood something I didn’t.”
“What?”
“That you were allowed to be a kid without earning your place in the house.”
I looked down.
Dad cried.
I did not comfort him.
That was not my job.
Then he said:
“I’m sorry.”
No explanation afterward.
No but.
Better.
Not enough.
May you like
Better.
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