Daddy's Home

Yes. Daddy's home. Finally.

He left when I was eighteen. My youngest sister was only eight.  No third party was involved.  He just had to leave.

We were left to Mom who raised us to be "professionals." (In the Philippines, that's what they call ém who finished a Bachelor's degree course.)  'None of us quit school.  We were all able to finish on time.  Not everyone was lucky enough to land a coveted job right away but we were all lucky to find a supportive and loving spouse/ partner.  In many ways, we got lucky.  We got stable.  Without Dad..

The lines of communication between Dad and us (even between Mom and he) always remained open.  Which is why five years ago, Dad was able to visit us briefly and even witness the birth of my 3rd sister's first born.  But then he had to leave -- simply because he no longer had a spot in our lives.

Painful as it may seem but that was true. To this day, it is still a dilemma assigning him a spot in our lives. But that is so because the past many years Daddy wasn't here haven't been easy.  It was only because he NEVER extended ANY form of support towards us but because in our hearts, we knew that many of the horribly painful things that happened to us would not have taken place if Dad was just around.  I and my younger sisters fought many hard battles and everytime we did, we tried to imagine how easier better life would have been had Daddy remained.

But past is past.  We could not go back.  Things are different now.  When last Christmas Daddy announced he was coming to visit, we knew he wasn't leaving again anymore.  Age has taken a toll on him and we see how he has grown weak and frail.  When we confronted him what his plan was, he sobbed.  He sought forgiveness for having deserted us for so long. Something he's never done before (of Daddy was such a proud and conceited man!)  But in my heart, I know he was sincerely sorry.  We vented.  We ranted.  But yes, we also listened.  Then amazingly, all those years of resentment, vanished.  Each of us knew that we shouldn't let Daddy leave again.

Now Daddy stays with me.  Well, not really for good.  I and my sisters agreed to take turns in taking him in. Mom on the other hand is complacent.  After making things clear between her and Dad, after establishing their boundaries, Daddy now knows where he stands.  Mom has raised her daughters well so we harbor no ill-feelings for her decision not to take Daddy back.  He can of course still visit her once in a while.

Ah, our family's story is one for the books.  It is complicated, vexing, taxing, intriguing, and to a certain degree, maybe entertaining.  In this saga however, I am just glad we're all together now again.

I am so glad Daddy is home.  Finally. =)