mon père in a nutshell

On the morning of the first day of my senior year of high school, I got into a car accident. It was a small one–there was more traffic waiting at the light than I'd expected and I bumped into it coming around the corner– but I was really shaken up. My brother, in the car with me, was laughing. As the woman in front of me got out and inspected the damage (there was none), I yelled at him to walk to school. The unforgiving woman asked for my insurance. I nervously gave it to her and she smugly said she wouldn't file a police report. I called my mom who reacted even more dramatically than I'd expected. Then, my dad came. He accompanied me to the parking lot and gave me a hug. He told me not worry about the car, or the insurance, or my mom even; this kind of thing happens to everyone and it was just an accident. He promised everything was going to be okay. It was.

And each time I've gone to him in stress and tears and worry, he's made sure it is. He's the best man I know. Though we don't chat often enough nowadays, I've never felt his quiet confidence in me waver. Happy Father's Day, Papi! I cannot wait to see you soon.

Photo from Zapallar, Chile (circa 2008)