After my mom died, my dad and I couldn’t be apart. We became close friends and relied on each other for help and comfort. Things got more difficult when Dad began dating again.
When I came into the living room one night, Dad was having a good time with a woman I had never met. When he called me his maid, I got angry and hurt at the same time.
How could he bring us apart in that way? I chose to show him what’s wrong.
I went along with it and pretended to be the good cleaner, but I had another plan. Dad was lying, and I was going to show his new partner that I wasn’t just a small part of his life.
With a sly grin, I said out loud that Jessica and I were cleaning up after Dad’s night with another woman the night before. When the girlfriend got mad, her face went red, and she asked who Jessica was.
Dad stuttered and couldn’t answer, so the woman yelled and slammed the door shut. Dad looked at me with a face that showed he felt both angry and helpless.
He asked, “Why did you do that?”
I was happy and crossed my arms. “You lied about me, Dad.” “Be honest if you want to date.”
Dad laughed, then chuckled, and soon we both couldn’t stop laughing. The stress went away, and our usual warmth came in its place.
Dad promised to be honest from now on, and we hugged. He said, “No more secrets.”
We got pizza and watched a movie together, and our friendship got stronger. I learnt that sometimes a little chaos is what’s needed to get things back in balance.
This taught Dad an important lesson: never forget how strong a daughter’s love and determination can be.
My smile spread as we ate pizza on the couch. “You’re lucky to have me, Dad.”
He smiled back. “Kid, I know. “I understand.”
