The Arrival

Building a relationship with a parent seems like it should be the sort of thing that requires little to no effort. Seeing your parents as actual people is something that happens to all of us at some point, but sometimes that actualization is hard to come by. I knew my dad was someone other than just my dad the day he asked my mom for a divorce. I was fouteen at the time and lost in my own high school drama. In the last nine years though, I have just barely come to know the man behind the face I recognize to one day be my own. The furrowed brow and crow's feet that I will adopt, the tired eyes and thoughtful stare I already wear so well.
We've been making plans recently, for him to come up and see me...a twelve hour round trip for a less than twenty four hour stay is about all it comes down to. He's making the effort, but it seems a little forced. Maybe I want too much of the person.