Page 172 - The Houseguest

BRAD
Brian smiled and felt his heart swell as he remembered the affectionate name Laura assigned to him as she grew older. Because he performed all of the duties of a father, making sure she was fed, warm and going to school, she combined the words brother and dad and called him “Brad.” It was a private joke between the two of them that progressed with them into adulthood, until life and circumstances separated them for all those years. He hadn’t thought of that name in so long and wondered if Laura remembered, because so often times the early good memories become intertwined with the bad ones and forgotten, “unintentionally on purpose.” He vowed to remind her should he ever see her again.
He felt lucky that although he’d been denied the chance to have children and be a father, he did experience the overwhelming satisfaction of having nurtured and protected a child. He must’ve done something right, he thought. Though Laura had lived through events that would’ve broken another woman, she was strong enough to rebound. And even though she attributes her courage solely to a higher power, he likes to believe he played a part in it as well. After all, he had no role model to pattern his parental skills after, and relied purely on his own instincts. Laura never needed discipline. He was grateful for that because he wasn’t not sure under the circumstances, if he would have been able to chastise her for anything.
His mind drifted back to Laura’s first day of school, and how he’d requested more hours at the hardware store to afford to buy her some decent clothes. Though he’d dropped out of school, he wanted her to
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The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life