Prompt 6 of 31

The Writer's Book of Matches pg. 121 "It got me thinking: Am I as big a disappointment to him as he is to me?"

Start time: 9:14 (I'm going to try and finish it, dammit. Or go for my scheduled allotment of time.)

My father was my hero. All my friends always chose superman, batman, the ninja turtles, or some other-worldly thing that I felt could never get close to the master man of my father. I'm sure many kids felt the same way. And probably still do. But when I discovered what my father had done he ceased being my everything.

I was thirteen when I discovered that the scholarship he had received for football was a lie. He had taken steroids almost his entire senior year and the grades he received to even get him near enough to be considered a 4.0 were also faked. He was a sham. He was worse than what I had thought of those fictitious heroes my friends idolized. They may have not been real but at least the writer's, artists, publishers knew what they were and had no lies about it.

After my discovery I distanced myself from my father as far as I could. He had nothing to teach me, unless it was to steal another identity altogether. So in an effort to prove... something, I don't know, I went the exact opposite.

Instead of getting a high GPA I got the lowest. Instead of extra curricular activities I went for toking up in the parking lot with my friends and ditching last period.

After I was expelled for too many missed schools days and no real learning to speak of, my parents then kicked me out of the house. My things were neatly packed in boxes in front of the garage. My father stood over them, smoking a cigarette he held between his lips.

As I collected my stuff he said nothing. I threw every swear and slur I could at him, throwing his failures in his face, but still he remained stoic. I hated that. I hated him.

Now as I live underneath this highway bridge, a couple of junkies shooting up just down the way, it got me thinking: am I as big a disappointment to him as he is to me.

I may not have any book smarts but I wasn't an idiot. Of course he was. What father wouldn't.

End time: 9:32
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When I randomly chose this one, my finger landed between this and one I had done previously. I chose this one to challenge myself but I ran out of steam because there was not real conflict that would inspire a major change. Nor did I give/put the character in a situation that would really warrant it. So, for the rest of my time I'm going back and adding to the prompt about the old man and his lost childhood sweetheart. So check that one out.