DADDY ISSUES
By Susan Diamond
She had a miserable father. When God said honor thy father and mother, she could only do 50%.
Roselynn knew her Dad for eight brief years. She said goodbye to her Dad one morning before she left for school, and after school when she returned, he was gone. Her Mom told her she wouldn’t be seeing her Dad anymore. They were getting a divorce and that was that.
There was no big scene, no goodbyes – not even a note. Roselynn was left to her own imagination to piece together a story. Her Mom would have no part of any discussion.
“Better off without him.” Was all she had to say.
Eight years passed and Roselynn thought about her Dad every day. She learned to live without him but she never learned how to stop the pain in her heart. She prayed and asked God for answers, but apparently God didn’t have much to say about it either.
Roselynn turned sweet sixteen and she was looking for love. This was the time of emerging technology. With the tap of a keyboard and a row of computers lined up in the library, she searched for her father.
She found him on Facebook: Joe James, the very same Daddy she remembered as a child. She cried when she saw all the events of his life that she was not a part of. She got angry when she saw her three half-siblings smiling for the camera with their Daddy, her Daddy! New family for Joe, new wounds for Roselynn.
She became a voyeur. She watched her father through the glass screen of a plastic computer. She learned about his favorite foods, the type of music he listened to, even what kind of car he drove.
She was captivated by the family. He had a wife, and children. His daughter looked to be about her age. She studied the group homecoming picture where Shelley and her Dad poses for the camera.
It broke her heart.
She handled it stoically on the exterior but inside she was a mess. Roselynn reached deep in her soul and prayed for guidance. Her heart wanted reconciliation. Her mind demanded an explanation. God answered her with a very simple and familiar refrain. “Honor your father.”
She sent a message to Joe. He replied immediately.
“Hey baby. Guess you’ve got some questions for me. I’m living in Philly now. You’ve got two more brothers, a sister and a step-momma.”
He included his phone number.
Roselynn is a sensible girl. She’s a planner. She carefully prepared some talking points, rehearsed possible scenarios and taped a print-out of the 5th commandment over the desk in her bedroom...read more
