The man I thought was my dad

It was a sunny day in May of 1992, I just turned 18 and had graduated high school, my dad was still proud of me and my sisters, we live in a small town in Alabama. My dad is a hard worker and he made good money so we didn’t need for much and we always had food to eat and a warm place to sleep. My eldest sister Kelly was 22, she had just started college and she wanted to stay in the dorm when my dad offered to get her an apartment, he said it would be nice and she would be off campus but she liked the idea of living in the dorm. My youngest sister Leah was 15, she was a freshman in high school and she was loving high school so much.<br><br>I was out with my sisters at the Mall, Kelly was spending some of her graduation money and buying some new things for college, Leah was excited to be out with her sisters, I remember how happy Kelly looks as she buys something and I’m happy she was branching out on her own even though I would miss her a lot.<br><br>When I went into a clothing store to look at some clothes, a man was following me he was tall, he had a black beard and brown hair. He had the brightest blue eyes and his smile was so nice, he was wearing a white shirt with jeans and boots, he had this nice cologne on him. He walked up to me and asked how I was doing and I told him good and he smiled, he asked my name and I told him it was Rachel and he said nice to meet you Rachel. He said his name was Jim and I said nice to meet you to. He kept talking to me and I didn’t realize how long we had talked, I told him I had to go and he smiled and said nice talking to you.<br><br>I never saw him again until a few weeks later, I was out with my sisters again and we were all standing outside the theater talking, I had gone to the bathroom and when I came out he was standing there smiling at me. He said it’s nice to see you again Rachel and I blushed as I smiled. He asked what I was doing and I told him I was seeing a movie with my sisters and he said that’s cool, I asked if he was going to see a movie and he said yes. We kept talking until my sisters came out and they asked who he was and I told them he was Jim, I had met him at the Mall. Kelly asked if he was my boyfriend and I said no he wasn’t.<br><br>Jim smiled and said maybe someday and I blushed, he said nice to meet you girls and I said you to. A few days later my dad was out of town and Kelly had a paper to write and she was in her room, Leah was at a friends and I was out walking around. I didn’t go far but I walked to a park that was just down the street, I sat on a bench and I just looked around. I noticed a man standing behind a tree, he was tall with a black beard and brown hair. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans with boots, he smiled and he had the brightest blue eyes. I got up and started walking away, he started walking behind me and I started walking faster. He started running and I took off running, I ran as fast as I could and I didn’t stop until I got to my front door. I slammed the door and locked it, I called my dad and told him what happened. He told me to call the police and I did, I told them what happened and they asked if I saw where he went and I said yes. I told them where I last saw him and they said they would look for him.<br><br>I waited for them to call me and when they did they said they couldn’t find him, I was disappointed and I felt bad. My dad told me Kelly would keep me safe and I said ok, when my dad came home he looked worried he kept looking out the windows and he kept his gun with him. I was surprised he was so worried but he just said he wanted to protect us. A few days went by and I didn’t see him again and I started to think he had left town, my dad was still looking out the windows but not as much.<br><br>One night I woke up and heard a noise, it sounded like something was scratching the window and I froze. The scratching got louder and I screamed, my dad and Kelly both came running in my room. When they turned on the light they saw him scratching the window, my dad yelled at him to stop and he stopped scratching but he just kept smiling. My dad called the police and they came and got him, when they took him away my dad and Kelly were both upset. My dad kept saying he’s gone now and I said I wish he was never here. Kelly just held me as I cried and my dad held us both.<br><br>A few weeks went by and we never heard anything, my dad said he was going to see what he could find out. When he came home he looked confused and worried, he sat us down and asked Kelly and Leah to go get something to eat. When they left he just stared at me, I asked what’s wrong dad and he said that man is your real father. I just froze and I asked what he meant, he said that man is your real father and your mother cheated on me. I asked why he didn’t tell me and he said he didn’t want to hurt me and he just wanted to be my dad.<br><br>I just didn’t know what to say, I think I was in shock. My dad said he would always be my dad no matter what and I thanked him. I thought about it and the more I thought about it I just got so angry, my mom cheated and he would wouldn’t let me know.<br><br>I decided I never wanted to meet him and I just wanted him to leave me alone. I never wanted him in my life and I just wanted him to go away. I never let him into my life and I never wanted to meet him, I will never let him in because he is not my dad. My dad is the one who always was there for me, my dad is the one who protected me. My dad is my real dad and I will never let him go, he is my real family.