Father's Day

It's been a day since father's day, well two technically as i write this well after midnight but i would just like to say a big thank you to all fathers out there because let's face it, without them, some of us would not be able to drive, play sports, attempt to fix things and pretend to know things. Also we would not know what it's like not to be embarrassed around friends or awkwardly have "the talk".


As an impressionable young child, you tend to copy most things around you. Fortunately for me my step-father was a caring, kind and gentle man with a big heart and an equally big stomach. This meant that my primary school childhood was largely spent eating left overs in the morning, vomiting after all-you-can-eat buffets at Pizza Hut and sweating out juices that made me smell like a cheeseburger (so my classmates used to say). Fortunately after a while in high school i realised that i could pick up good habits and ditch some of the worse ones as i began to get into sports especially Rugby. My step-father definitely could no longer say he did any sports anymore and god knew how long he hadn't for, but he did watch games and bet on teams he thought would win, and they did every once in a blue moon (his constant reassurance his team would definitely win probably influenced my gambling problem somewhat). What he did do though better than anything else though was support my playing, even against my raging mother who couldn't fathom the idea of her poor little son running into other guys even though his son was relatively big at the time due to years of eating ice-cream sandwiches for breakfast. Yes, arguments were won over the Rugby debacle with the help of my step-father and i was permitted to play on and even now i play the sport thanks to him.

My earliest memory of my step-father revolve around him trying to impress me as a child with E.T., the movie involving the child on a flying bicycle with an alien for all those who haven't heard of it. Long story short, i remember not liking the movie at all but he did slowly convince me into loving movies. Whenever he was at home, the television was on non-stop and when he wasn't, there was an eerie silence to the house. He did try and buy my affection as a child, and to be honest, it worked. The Xbox made me the most popular kid in the block and the games never stopped coming. I grew out of it though, those long nights of barely any sleep and a lot of swearing at the screen and during high school, he definitely could no longer buy my affection. He had earnt it already though with all the countless hours of advice giving regarding anything even girls, to how to fix and bake things. He encourage every one of my hobbies over the years, no matter how crazy and insane they were, especially scamming and the Martingale system that failed miserably. I can say that while i may have the family name of biological father, and probably will retain it since it's legally easier to, that he will always be the only father figure i have had.

I always used to think that i was a bit softer than the other guys, more emotionally gentle at times as a result of not having a father figure since he left when i was five, but to be honest, that's not the reason why. The reason was that my step-father was always a kind and giving man. He gives it all to his family every day of his life, and expects nothing in return but gratitude. He even weeps at the end of romantic movies. He may be a simpleton who loves nothing more than just sausages or pork chops for dinner and whose entertainment may be centered around the idiot box. A simple labourer whose motto revolves around living every day to the fullest, and to not save money because "you don't want to die the richest man in the cemetery". I know that while i might not want to follow in his footsteps to be a labourer, i do wish i had half the perseverance and heart he has. He has made me the man i am today, and for that i'm eternally grateful. There is no other man i respect as much i do him.

I love you step-father. It's awkward to even hug, making saying this almost impossible, just know that i do.

Trying to get my sleep pattern back to normal so bye.