This is what I want my son to know this Father's Day.
It’s customary for children to honor their dads on Father’s Day, but for all intents and purposes, I never had a father. I swore that if I had a son of my own, I’d be there for him. But I wasn’t.
I should have been there for you. Mom/your grandmother should not have had to raise my son. How can I explain my absence to you? I didn’t see him again until he came home when I was 8 or 9. He lived up the street from us with his mother, so Mom allowed me to visit. As soon as I was inside the house, he left. I stayed for the weekend, and he popped in occasionally. I remember being happy just to be around him.
Unfortunately, I thought that meant to get as much money as I could, so I chased the streets even harder. A couple of weeks later, I was locked up for first-degree murder. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t the one who shot the gun; I was in the car, and that was enough. Son, in a lot of ways we are alike. The main reason I started running the streets was because it gave me prestige in the ’hood. All of my friends were doing it, and I liked the freedom. I can see you struggling with the same things. Watching you navigate this environment has made me see how deeply I failed you.
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