It was raining and I knew my hair looked horrible. Then again, I was only going to my dad’s house. My dad was driving us. I got a text from my mom and I heard Tommy’s phone go off almost simultaneously so I figured she had texted both my brother and I.

Hey baby, you're gonna have to stay over at Dad’s house for two weeks! sorry ily!

She’s always texting like that, like she doesn't have the energy to type five more letters. I responded with an angry face. Mom knew I hated being at my dads house.
My mom and dad got divorced eight years ago, when I was seven.
My dad didn't say much during the entire car ride. After Tommy got off the phone, all I could hear was the soft pounding of rain on our old fragile car.

When I got out of the car to go inside, I ducked and ran, as if the raindrops would fall on me slower if I bent down closer to the ground or maybe not hit me at all. I stood underneath my dad’s front porch, waiting for him to come to unlock the door. I noticed that my dad’s front lawn was looking even worse than it used to. The rain wasn’t helping.

When I stepped into the house there were four board games sitting on the coffee table; all still wrapped in a static-y plastic wrap. I didn't mention them or ask why they were there; I had no intention of playing board games with anyone. I just sat on the couch hoping that they were donations for an elementary school or somthing.

To my surprise the first thing my dad asked as he walked through the door was, “Who’s up for Shoots And Ladders?“

I was mortified. I can’t believe he thought that that could possibly be a good idea. He winked at me as though we were pals or something. I walked upstairs to go to my room, and I didn’t say a word to my dad. A lot was going through my mind, Why this? Why board games? Why did this take fifteen years? It was only eight o'clock , but I went to bed then and there.

That next morning, it was all I could think about. I felt so bad for being such a brat last night but I was too embarrassed to apologize. I spent my entire Saturday at the lake by my dad’s house, thinking about the night before. I didn't even want to go back home but I got a text from Tommy about coming back for dinner, and I knew I had to go back to the house.

I saw all the board games on the coffee table sitting there, and I decided to check them out. The first two games were really lame, but then I picked up Sorry. It was a game my brother and I used to play all the time when we were 8 years old. I loved that game as a child.

After we all ate dinner I went and setted up the game for the whole family to play. I was afraid I would get rejected after the way I treated my dad but I knew I had to try.

I put together the whole game and then I made chocolate chip cookies which were my brother’s favorite. I figured dad liked them too. I took out soda and turned on my playlist from my phone to add some music.

I asked my dad if I could talk to him. He quickly smiled and followed me to the living room. When he saw that the game had been set up he smiled with joy and called Tommy down from his room to come play the game with us.

Tommy yelled down the stairs, “ I don’t wanna play…”. So me and my dad had an awesome bonding time that night, just him and I.
I was sad that I had never given him the time of day to hangout but now, I'm glad I’ve gotten the chance to.

We got to talk about everything that night and I realized how awesome my dad truly was. He was an incredible man. I can’t believe that was only ten years ago. I was so naive, I was so childish, and I don’t know what I’d do without him now.

I would always think about the way I used to treat him for the longest time.

When he finally became my friend … it was for the better.