Uhh...what? My brain draws a complete blank. I know I should have seen this coming, but seeing it in-person, in real time is crazy.

My dad says something to Miss Chloe and she full-on throws her head back and laughs. He smiles at her in that way. You know what I'm talking about. That wonderment and adoration and the half-proud smirk of doing the exact right thing in the exact right moment. That smile you get when you're like 99% sure she's into you too.

Omg. This is weird, man. Like thinking about my dad as just a guy. Feeling all the things I feel and going through all the same things I do. It's really messing with my head. I honest to God start to get light-headed and have to step away. I'm so disoriented, I don't notice the giant root beneath my feet. I hit the ground with a loud and very obvious thud. To make it even worse, I land on a couple of branches and snap them in half with a crack. I know right away I've totally given away our position.

"Jeez, Matty, are you okay?" Kiersten says.

"Yeah."

I stumble back to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye I see my dad fast-walking towards me. I gotta get out of here.

"Hey," my dad calls after me.

I know it's no use. He's got me in his sights and he's not gonna give up until he stops me.

"You all right?" He says and puts his head on my forehead to check for bruises.

"Yeah," I say and kind of brush him off.

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty embarrassed by this total overreaction to something that in all honesty is not that big of a deal. But, man, is it totally shattering my entire world view.

"Why don't we sit down."

I nod my head in somewhat of a daze. Kiersten recognizes the father-son moment unfolding and makes an excuse to scurry away and sit by the lake with Miss Chloe who I'm sure if also very uncomfortable.

As soon as I sit down, I snap back to my senses. The urge to just blurt out what I'm thinking is too strong.

"What the hell is going on here? Are you two, like, dating?"

"No, no," My dad quickly sputters out and turns red. "We're...no, that's not, that's not happening."

"You would tell me if you were, right?"

"Yeah, of course. It's, uh," he stops and lets out a laugh. "I don't know what's going on either."

"Well, do you like her?"

"Uh," my dad kind of groans. I can tell he's definitely grappling with how uncomfortable this conversation is and that he's coming to the same world shattering realization that did. We're both just two guys trying to navigate the world. And somewhere along the way, we became friends.

"Yeah," he admits with a quick scan around to make sure she's not around to hear. "Man, she's incredible. She's so freaking smart. Hard-worker. She's got a business degree and an MBA and spreadsheets like you wouldn't believe. She runs that whole place. The kids love her, too."

"And she's hot. And mega rich."

"Yeah," he chuckles with a knowing smile. "That doesn't hurt. But.."

The mood turns a little somber and he looks down at the ground with a sigh.

"She's way out of my league."

"Nah, no way."

"Yeah, right. I'm a 32 year-old gym teacher with 4 kids whose own wife didn't even want him. What do I have to offer her?"

I can't help but laugh at how obvious the answer is.

"So much. Like you don't even know. You're the best dad a kid could ask for. You're a kind and generous, understanding, and loyal family man. You have your priorities in life and you stick to 'em. You're always there for me, and everyone else too. If I end up even half the man you are, I should be so lucky."

He tries to hide the tears from his eyes and quickly wipes them away.

"Thanks, Matt. That means a lot."

"Of course. I meant every word."

"So, you're okay with this? I know you were hoping me and your mom would get back together."

I think about it for a second and let it sink in. It's clear now. It's time to move on.

"Yeah," I say. "I, uh, I'm done with Mom. And you should be too. I want this for you, Dad. I want you to be happy. You deserve it."

My dad nods with a heavy sigh and the tears well up again. Only this time, he doesn't try to hide it. Instead he looks me dead in the eyes and he lets me see it all. The love and appreciation, the faith, and the relief of finally being able to let go.

"Thank you."

💚

After a few minutes, my dad and I shake it off and manage to pull it together. We both kind of laugh at what a mess we are and how unexpectedly deep it got.

"Man, I'm supposed to be the adult here. I shouldn't be crying like this," he laughs.

I think back to all the times I fell apart in front of him and laugh along.

"We can call it even."

My dad laughs and wipes his eye one final time before locking into his usual tough and stoic self.

"You think the girls are still here?"

I shrug and poke my head around the tree. Kiersten and Miss Chloe sense my eyes on them and turn around. I lock eyes with Kiersten and she picks up on my signal right away. It's safe for them to come back.

When my dad realizes the girls are heading back our way, he immediately jumps up and dusts off any sign of emotional instability.

"Everything okay?" Miss Chloe asks.

"Yeah, just making sure Matt didn't sprain an ankle or something. You're good, right kiddo? You can walk on it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

I'm quick to corroborate the story, although I'm not sure the girls buy it. Kiersten at the very least definitely doesn't, but they're both courteous enough to save our pride and not say anything.

"Is someone back at the house watching the kids?" Miss Chloe asks, taking it one step further and completely changing the subject.

She really is incredible.

"Uh, nope," my dad says. "I think that was kind of my job."

"We should probably go," Kiersten says.

"Yeah. That would be a good idea."

And with that, the four of us high-tail it out of there with only our imaginations to what horrors await us back home.