MY TWO DADS (Fall Writing Frenzy 2023)

MY TWO DADS

By Darcie Naslund

Word count: 200 words

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I have two dads.

One is tall,

with dark hair,

and honey-brown eyes.

The other

is the same person—

two dads in one.

And yet,

they are

so

very

different.

Old Dad was kind, helpful and brave.

He went off to war to save the world.

If anyone could do it, he could.

But my world—

was shattered.

Luckily, Dad came home safe.

Safe but broken.

He isn’t the dad I remember.

I call him New Dad.

New Dad’s eyes don’t sparkle like Old Dad’s did.

They look lost.

His smile is, too.

I miss Old Dad’s hugs.

He could squeeze away my troubles

and melt away my pain.

New Dad doesn’t hug,

Sometimes, I wonder if he notices me at all.

Until he does.

CRASH!

I spill my water.

New Dad YELLS.

It scares me.

I clean up silently,

pretending I'm invisible.

Like when I watch New Dad.

He doesn’t notice.

I do it because every once in a while

I see glimpses of Old Dad—

kind and helpful.

I wonder if he's still brave.

Maybe Old Dad— my dad

can fight his way back to me.

I hope so.

But for now,

I need to be brave, too.