Long story short, my family and home life have always been chaotic. My mother and I haven't gotten along, and my stepdad wasn't the greatest either. I lived on and off again with my aunt and uncle since the eighth grade, and now I'm 20. My senior year of high school, my mother kicked me out of the house, and I moved in officially with my aunt and uncle and have been there ever since.
Since my stepdad wasn't the greatest, I had trust issues with men. Not guys around my age, or elderly men, but middle-aged men.
My uncle has always been there for me and actually came into my life when I was 5. My aunt told him we were a packaged deal, so if he wanted to be with her, he had me too.
This would scare most people off, but not my uncle.
My uncle was caring, loving, accepting, and ready to take on whatever life threw at him. However, he wasn't ready for this curveball.
When I first moved in with them, I was reluctant to be around my uncle. I was nervous and scared. Was he going to yell at me and tell me I'm not good enough? Was he going to kick me out? Did he even want me there? These are the thoughts I had while living with them.
I learned to be okay around him, and when he and my aunt took me dress shopping for a dance, I felt safe for once.
These thoughts and feelings I had for the next three years until I had to move in with them.
He had done everything he could to show me that those thoughts I had were wrong and that I could trust him and love him. He understood why I was scared, but it hurt him to know that it was hard for me to want to be around him.
Until the event happened.
My mother and I had gotten into a fight while I was housesitting for my aunt and uncle and kicked me out. He was the first one I called in hysterics while they were out of town.
For the first three months I lived with them after that, I had to sleep on the pullout couch because they didn't have another bedroom for me to stay in. Besides, they had three kids of their own by this point, and I was just thankful to have somewhere to lay my head at night.
Once I graduated, I got a summer job at the gas station near my house. I worked long and exhausting hours, so after I got home, I would go straight to bed. Little did I know, they had a surprise for me.
It was a Saturday, and I had just gotten home from work. It was about 10 at night, and I was exhausted from dealing with cranky, stubborn, and redneck customers. I just wanted to go to bed.
My cousin, who was eight, sat with me on the couch to keep me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep. I appreciated it because I didn't get to see him a lot during the day. He suddenly ran to our basement, and that's when I realized the light was on down there. He came back upstairs and said, “Booboo, come downstairs!"
Slowly I got up and walked down the stairs on achy feet. My aunt was at the bottom of the stairs and she said, “I know it isn't much, but this is yours. Welcome home, baby."
I opened the door that leads to the storage side of the basement and cried when I saw my uncle standing in my new bedroom.
They had built me a room of my own, spending countless hours building this room and picking out the perfect decorations for my room which consisted of zebra print and little zebras everywhere.
I hugged my uncle tight, and he just held me in his arms reassuring me that this is mine.
One of the most beautiful gestures I had ever received.
He then helped me figure out things for college and when the time came he helped me move in.
He bought me a car for Christmas in 2017 and has since then taught me how to change my oil, check all my fluids, and I'm still learning how to fix things on it.
Throughout these past two years of living with him and my aunt, he has shown me what a dad is. He has shown me what it means to have a dad, what they do, and how it is good to have a male role model in my life.
My uncle and I have an unbreakable bond, and this past Valentine's Day he gave me the best promise a girl could ever ask for.
We had to wait until Valentine's Day which I was fine with, but I was getting excited. My uncle had already don't more for me than what I had ever imagined.
When I went home the couple days after I knew something big was happening, mostly because everyone had their cameras up.
I sit at the table as he reads me a note from him that he found that describes a relationship between a father and daughter.
What happened next was the most magical moment.
He set a little white box in front of me and said to open it. I open the white box and there was a smaller velvet box for jewelry sitting inside of it. I open the softbox to a note that said: “There's a girl who stole my heart and she calls me dad."
I immediately start crying before I see what is behind the note. To my surprise, it was a beautiful gold ring with diamonds in it. I got up and hugged my uncle tight, and he told me that this is his promise to always be my dad and to always love me until our last breaths.
My uncle could have walked away when my aunt told me that I was with her. He could have walked away when I didn't have anywhere to go but his house when I got kicked out. He could have walked away when it was time to help with college.
But he didn't.
Uncle Chris, I am so thankful for everything you have done for me all these years. You have become my best friend, my mechanic, my uncle, but most of all you have become my dad.
To everyone out there, a dad isn't just the man who helped create you, a dad is a man who constantly chooses you and loves you even when you don't love yourself as my uncle does with me.
I couldn't have asked for a better dad. I love you.
