Even as I battle denial and anger, the image of a smiling man rises in my mind. I barely remember him, but he wasn't Dad. Mom introduced us, one day at the park. He drove us around in his shiny convertible and bought me ice cream. I remember wondering why Mom smiled so much.
"How could she do that?" It's weird for me to take Dad's side, especially considering he never has taken mine. But I always thought my parents were happy. Until I came along. I blamed Dad's hate for me on myself, never knowing it was Mom's infidelity that drove the wedge between Dad and me.
Aunt Vonda looked away, cheeks wet with tears. "Everyone makes mistakes," she says. "And sometimes you can love someone, but that love doesn't last, for one reason or another." Her fingers twist together in her lap. "I lost my Sal
