Nineteen

c a t h e r i n e

My walk towards the principal's office took me to the far memories of my relationship with my father. Along the corridors echoed my mother's dialogues to me when I was a child.

"It's not that your father doesn't love you, Catherine.." Mom would often say every time my dad scores so well in proving me unimportant.

Both of my parents were just 16 when they had me. They were never married, of course. Eventually, both of them had their own families. I had often felt like I was stuck in the middle, as I belonged nowhere. I feel like I wasn't supposed to exist in the first place.

My mom took custody of me. My dad, on the other hand, promised to fulfill his responsibility to me but they remained just that--promises lacking actions. His consequent absences on all of my birthdays and all of the other special occasions are just the surface of his failed parenting.

"It's just that he has a hard way showing it. Love can be tough, you know?" Mom, in her ever pleasant and u