My parents' divorce settlement involved a bar tab.

They had a big court battle over who got to keep me. Mom won; she made me live with Dad.

My father never missed a drink in his life. Or a joint. Or a party. Or a chance to get laid. He also never missed a day of work, or a house payment, or a car payment. I never went hungry, although he did a couple of times so I wouldn't.

How far would you go for someone you love ? I heard this story, about this woman, who actually lifted a car off of her baby. 'Course I would have said, Dude! Back up. But, wasn't my kid. When I was born, if I'd have known all the stuff my dad was going to do for me, I'd have crawled right back in.

Losing builds character. You know who said that? A loser! Guy who got his ass stomped every day, basketball, football, baseball, lose, lose, lose and lose. All right, I'm talking about me.

Denial is a powerful weapon. My dad taught me mind over matter. No matter how hurt I got, he didn't mind.

My dad's full of encouragement and support. It just feels like abandonment and neglect.