Bull Durham

Bull Durham

My dad was a monster. He was huge. He played every sport, well. He got straight A's and was an exceptional artist. He never got in trouble. He dated the prom queen and went to college on scholorship to play football. He was attractive and shy.

He graduated with honors and married his prom queen. He bought his first house fresh out of school and had 2 baby girls he adored. He was 26.

When he was 27 he got into business with his brother and they built large houses for very rich people. He often got mistaken for Kevin Costner in airports and at the mall.
He bought my mom 'the ring she deserved' that year.

His 30th birthday party was a surprise. I was 7, Cara Marie was 4. I discovered his sketchbook and took it upon myself to color in the white spaces. I gave it to him for his birthday after everyone left. I was so excited.
He cried.
It was my fault.

I hit my first homerun when I was 12. He came to watch and took me out to dinner. He was so excited. I had a recital the next day, he could'nt make it. He sent me flowers, and Cara Marie got crayons. Our mom got promoted that year to VP for the NW region. She was very excited.

And then sometime in there, he started going on long trips and drinking more. He only spoke in french if he spoke at all. He left his sketchbook at home and his tools. When he was home he stayed up all night and would wake us at all hours to ask about our motives, or he would just sit and cry. He still looked like Kevin Costner, almost exactly, even when he cried.

tbc