Many families live lives were they have a mother and a father and maybe some children. But not all families are like this. Some families have drunken fathers, addicted mothers, or even destroyed families. This is one of those families. There is an addicted father, who must have almost every drug out there in order to not shack, a fed-up mother and finally a confused and sadden young boy. The mother became so fed-up with the drugs, she told the father, “Either sober up or get out.” The father could not image a life without drugs. So he left the mother and the boy, lasting out the pay-check in order to buy more drugs.
But the mother tried to thrive without him. It was not easy but she was able to hold onto her house, her child, and food and water that were absolutely needed. She started to date other men, which the boy wasn’t very happy with, but it made the mother happier and the boy had to be happy with that. Guy after guy talked to the boy, trying to get to the mother easier but buy after guy failed. Until one, one man seemed to be a true father, a promising father.
The man’s name was Adam. But the man’s most concern was the boy, Leo. But his reason was different from the others. Adam’s past was not so different from Leo’s and he used that to get close to him. But Leo became shielded and mad at grown men that he didn’t trust Adam, and Adam understood that.
And one day Adam just had to talk to him. The mother, Jade, kept nagging and nagging Adam to talk to Leo, but Adam knew that he had to give him time and he told Jade that and she like Adam more for it. But one day Adam sat next to Leo on a ledge that was behind their house, “Hi, Leo.”
“Let’s get some things straight. One, I am not your buddy. Two, I am not a tool to get closer to my mom. Three—” Leo started angrily but was interrupted by Adam.
He laughed, “Ha, I remember the rules.”
Leo was confused, “What—what do you mean?”
Adam sighed and inched his way closer to Leo, “I remember when my mom was dating other men because she was divorced to my dad—”
“Why—was you dad an addict too? Huh, huh was he,” Leo said angry but Adam knew not to interrupt, “Was he so high that he couldn’t move—was he!”
Adam sighed again, “No, my dad wasn’t addicted to pot or coke. But my dad was an alcoholic. He was so drunk sometimes that he would just fall asleep. He would promise me things and say he didn’t. I know what you are going through and that’s why I’ve waited because I know how it fells.”
Leo’s eyes become watery, “So what are you going to do about?” his words sort of slurred together.
“Well…I can start with letting you still be strongly connected to your mother and not try to keep her for myself. I can promise, no swear to you, that I will absolutely keep all of my promises and never be too busy or too into something, for you and me to talk,” Adam notice that Leo turned his head because tears began to slip down his checks and that he didn’t want Adam to see them, “It is ok to cry, Leo, Lord knows how much I’ve cried because of my father,” he paused again and stood up about to go back inside, “If you ever need to talk…I’m hear.”
Adam turned and started to walk. But something stopped Adam from taking another step. He turns his head to see Leo’s arms wrapped around his waist. Adam completely turns around and wrapped his arms around Leo, “Thank you,” Leo said before forcing snot back up his nose.
“No problem…buddy,” Adam joked making Leo laugh, stopping the crying, “Are you coming back inside?”
Leo looked up into Adam’s face and smiled, “Na, I think I will just stay out here and think,” Leo dropped his arms and so did Adam.
“Ok, me and your mom will be inside if you need us.”
Adam shut the glass sliding door behind him and put his arm around Jade, who was watching the whole time. She put her head on Adam’s shoulder and simply smiled, “You know what you two looked like.”
“No, it’s sort of hard to see behind me looking at me,” he joked making them both laugh.
She looked at Adam’s eyes and saw him looking back at her, “You looked like father and son.”
Adam couldn’t stop smiling. The thought of himself being a father was unbelievable, “I just hope I can be better than mine.”
Jade looked back at Leo but still talked to Adam, “You already are. Just by taking us in, you are five, ten times better than your father.”
Adam continued to smile, “I just can’t believe you said that,” Adam looked down, “Me a father. Thank you Jade, thank you.”
Jade took Adams arm and lifted it and walked behind Adam, “No, Adam, thank you.”
Soon Adam left the glass door to continue his day. A few years later Adam and Jade got married but in fact it was Adam getting emerged into Jade’s and Leo’s family. Years go on and the family only grew happier. Leo grows up to be a very happy man, marrying a woman from college. They had one baby girl after their marriage. Adam and Jade were happier than Leo and his wife, to be grandparents. And this story truly had a happily ever after.