Daddies are normally a child’s protection or helping hand while they are growing up, but sometimes things change, and sometimes things don’t happen like we want them to. Change is one of inevitable things in life; it is also the only constant thing we have to go through.

My dad has always worked away for as long as I can remember, and it has never bothered me. It was a change that I didn’t notice because it had never been any other way. He started out in Oklahoma, and he would come down on the weekends every two or so weeks. It never bothered me. I thought it was normal to go long periods of time without seeing him. The only long period of time he’d spend at home was in between projects, and breaking a habit and stressing over a job don’t mix well. I never liked that change. Seeing him only on weekends was worth not having the arguments or tears.

As he gained more experience, the jobs got better and closer to home. He worked in Houston for a good amount of time, and being only three hours away, we saw him often. By this time I’m fourteen. I’ve gone my whole life with my father figure hours away. It never bothered me. I thought it was normal to have to be independent.

Angola, Africa. A twenty-eight/ twenty-eight rotation. That’s his current job, and it doesn’t bother me. I’m sixteen, and I know how and I do take care of myself. I handle things on my own, and I don’t depend on someone else to fight my battles. Growing up without my dad and the change I never noticed made me become a better/ worse person depending on your perspective.