I awoke on a hot summer morning in a house lurking with silence only to find that my family was gone. Little did I know I would be left alone for three days. All my life my dad has had a terrible drug problem. He wasn’t always on a binge but he always failed to be the father figure I needed. The feeling of tension built up and was too strong for my mom to handle. She had to get out, and as usual my dad was no where to be found. At eleven, I was on my own and felt deprived for the first time. Although this was the darkest and most difficult experience I have encountered throughout my life, it has also proved enlightening.
As a child of a cocaine addict, I encountered many troubling experiences. Being a world champion bike racer, my dad’s addiction has prohibited me from traveling to places like Alaska, Japan, and Australia to compete. I witnessed my dad running away with our television as if he were a robber, and even selling cocaine right from his bedroom. There were times when I would be so upset because I was unsure if my dad were alive, or in the hospital struggling for his life.
At times, growing up was hard. I remember playing hide and seek with my family and to our surprise my dad wouldn’t come out of his hiding spot. After using cocaine he would assume different personalities. He would often become paranoid and not want to be found while playing. My family and I never thought he would ever be able to recover from his addiction.
Now almost eight months later, my dad has recovered, we look back and reminisce about some of the careless decisions he made, so they are not repeated. From his addiction, my dad has inspired me not to be who he now regrets. I don’t want to live the life he first did. I want to be better than him, and nonetheless I want to prove to everyone else that I am capable of achieving that goal.
Despite his appearance he isn’t out of shape. This cop doesn’t waste time talking things over either. I am not one who respects authority on command. I expect an equal respect from him, which continues to be a problem in our house. So, when Brandt demands that I take out the trash or get him a beer, a conflict arises and a physical fight usually follows. I have yet to win one of these fights, so I run and soon find I am beat once again. When I was twelve, I shoved a paperclip into an electrical socket and blew out the school’s air conditioning. I was so scared to face my step dad that I hid in a closet for 2 1/2 hours. He eventually found me and snatched me up like a twig; I couldn’t sit for a week. Running was out of the question so I fought as hard as I could and even then was overpowered. After that day I had no question about his athletic ability. This surprised me though considering he never exercises, although he mows the yard quite frequently.
Mowing is one of his favorite things to do but unlike most people, he wears cowboy boots, a cowboy hat and daisy duke shorts when he mows. He is always responsible and