Tears streamed down from Davey, my step-father's now glazed, baby blue eyes hinted with splashes of green and outlined with red. His mouth quivered and body shook as he wrapped his thick arms around me, weeping. "I love you more than anything else, kid," his voice cracked, going in and out of different pitches like a teenage boy going through puberty. "You're the only reason I'm even still in this house, or even alive, really." Before I knew it, streams of salty, bitter water streamed down from the corners and bottom of my eyes and down my cheeks, rapidly falling and splattering onto the surface below from my chin.
My parents had been miserable together for three, horrid years before officially deciding to split up for good. While my mother went in and out of jobs, Davey had been holding onto the same job for over a year and a half, working everyday from the time he got up, to the mid night/morning, which usually totaled up to over 80 hours a week. Once coming home, he'd usually hide upstairs for up to an hour, check up on me, go to band practice or a show and try to get which ever extra work he could do to make ends meet or get that "beautiful " guitar or bass. I cherish those times were we sit in the living room, spinning records, singing and talking- just the two of us. Still, the word "stressful" was a bit more than an understatement, but he still seemed to give everything his all, despite his misery. Despite knowing all this, I still climbed up those steps leading into his room, fully aware I was about to stack up those piles of stress and worry he faces everyday.
Several chills crawled up my spine and under my flesh as I slowly spoke. As I confessed to things that no fourteen year old girl should do or even deal with, Davey sat there- listening. No interruptions, shocked faces, horrible reactions, just his full attention. Although I felt ashamed, rarely would and do I hide things from him, leaving in all the gory details that I cant imagine any father would want to hear or know about his child. He did not and still does not judge me, no matter how bad the actions. In-fact, Davey probably knows more about me than any other person I've ever known, even up to this date.
After sluggishly kissing Davey goodnight and leaving his room, a sense of relief and warmness filled me. As I glanced at the clock that then read 4:00 AM, a light smile stumbled onto my face as I drifted to sleep. No matter how bad things got, or how horrible I felt, Davey would always be there for me and we'd have each other. That bit of knowledge and teaspoon-- no-- lifetime of love put me to ease and I knew things would be okay.
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