Growing up as a child, I had never met my dad. I always imagined he was a great guy. My mom had always told me he was sort of mean to her. But, I still chose to think he was amazing. I was going to meet him for the first time at the age of ten. I didn’t really know what to expect. I was scared and nervous.

It was around mid-May. It was a nice day out. I was waiting for my dad to pick me up at my house. He came with my grandparents. They leaned in and gave me an awkward hug. My mom spoke with them briefly, probably telling them that I was nervous. As I got into the car the air filled with an awkward silence. I was really shy and I felt really uncomfortable. We went to a flower shop. They kept asking me questions.

“Which flowers do you like?” asked my grandmother.

Me, “…….”

My grandmother seemed to be annoyed at me. I didn’t want to be there. They didn’t understand that it was hard for me to open up to people I had never met.

We went back to their house after they picked the flowers. They went outside, but I stayed inside. It was a big house in the suburbs. It was clean, organized, and made me feel like if I were to touch something I would get yelled at. I sat neatly on the couch. I didn’t know what they were doing outside. My dad then opened the door and said,

“Want to come outside?”

Me, “….....”
I thought he was talking to the dog.

As I realized that they were gardening I went outside. I hated to garden. My mom tried to get me into it but, I found it extremely boring. I looked around at what they were doing. They were making holes in the dirt to put the flowers in them. I looked up and my grandmother began to approach me. My dad and grandfather were standing by the holes, looking at my grandmother. She then said,

“You’re a rude, selfish little girl, you don’t appreciate everything we try to do for you”.

Me,”…….”

“We’re taking you home,” she said.

“Okay,” I said.
That’s all I wanted all along anyways.

We got into the car, and it was quiet. I was thinking about what she said. I started believing it. They dropped me off and I went inside and started crying. My Mom asked me what happened. I told her what my grandmother had said. So my mom explained to me that they were never there for me before. My mom and dad divorced each other when I was a little baby. My dad never called, rarely sent letters, and never gave me money. They never even tried, and for them to say I was selfish was ridiculous, because they were really the selfish ones. That was the last time I ever saw them.