Page 33 of A Constant Reminder

“I’m sorry, Sammie. I know I probably should have, but it seemed like a moot point. I mean you moved away, and never in a million years did I think he would come after you again. I didn’t see any sense in bringing up something that would upset you when I figured it was all in the past.”

He rubbed his forehead, and I could see regret painted all over it. It wasn’t his fault though. None of this was. In fact, he had been a great dad my whole life.

Never had I really taken the time to put myself in my father’s shoes. His wife kills herself. His daughter gets raped and beaten with no justice being doled out. Then, she moves across the country where he just has to hope and pray that she is okay.

“Hey dad.”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“Thank you.”

Confused, he asked, “For what?”

“For letting me handle things my own way and not pushing me but still being there for me when I needed you.”

He sat his large hand on top of mine once more. “Sammie, it’s not been easy. You’ve always been my little firecracker. When the incident happened four years ago, I worried you’d never get your spark back. I worried you’d lost that fire in your belly. Bit by bit, I have watched you learn to love yourself again. I’ve watched you learn to laugh again, and most of all, I’ve watched you stop hiding. And I think that man of yours had a lot to do with it. Don’t be too hard on him, Sammie. He loves you and just wants you to be safe.”

Again, I knew he was right (he typically was). I may not like it, but I knew the overprotection came from a place of true love. Just like at the end of the day, I knew that if the time came, and I had to protect Tyler, I would do anything to keep him safe.

Anything.

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