It's a day late, but so was my phone call. He didn't mind at all and was just thrilled that I called. It was my weekly call to my Mommy, but I spent most of the time on the phone with him. She didn't mind either.
He came into our lives on my 15th birthday. While my friends were decorating our house for my surprise birthday party, he took my Mom & me to the mall and out to lunch. He even bought me a hot fudge sundae for dessert. I've been fat since I was 5. Not a lot of people in my life would have even offered that.
While he has sometimes been stubborn, unyielding, and even angry, he has more often been supportive, kind, and loving. He came into the relationship with our Mom saying that he wouldn't be our dad. He just never saw himself as a dad at all. At first, we agreed because we'd gotten use to it being just the three of us (our Mom, my brother, & me). But that didn't last long.
Now, nearly 21 years to the day, he's our Pops. Our father came back into our lives (after a 10 year absence) about 18 months after we found Pops. I do love my Dad, but if I got married tomorrow it would be my Pops I would want to walk me down the aisle.
I do tell my Pops that I love him, every time I talk to him. But I don't think I've ever told him how much he really means to me. He DOES mean the world to me. Most days I'm proud of the person I've become and I know he played a big part in that. I hope he knows that too. :)
