My son began spending all his free time with a 50-year-old co-worker who seemed determined to become the father he had never had. I tried not to worry, until Tyler invited him to dinner. When he was alone with me, he revealed that he had become friends with my son for a reason that hit my blood.
Tyler's father left when he was just six.
I raised that boy alone, patching up every void his father had left.
I always feared I couldn't fill them completely.
Still, I was telling myself that I had done enough.
I even kept everything his father had left behind, in case Tyler ever wanted him.
When Tyler graduated and got his first full-time job at the local hardware store, I almost cried out of pride.
“You’re going to accomplish great things,” I said at the kitchen table.
“It’s just a hardware store, Mom,” he laughed. Don't get sentimental.
