My Dad.

I last spoke to my father on father's day 2007.  I called him to wish him a happy father's day.

For my efforts I got a lecture on how I was not a "real man" because I do not earn more than my wife and that I should show some pride and "support" my family.

My relationship with him, as a child, is defined more by his absence than his presence.  He lived that "support your family" advice.  He worked long hours and did provide for us.

He also played long hours and that was what my mother couldn't bear; thus the divorce.

He was never a dead-beat dad; the checks came on time and as promised.

He taught me not to be afraid to turn wrenches to fix my own car.  He taught me the value of buying the right tool for the job being worth it in the time saved in making the wrong tools work.

He taught me my first lessons in being suspicious about the government's motives and imparted more than a little contempt for unions.

He's the person who explained to me that guns were just machines and tools; even if we rarely went shooting.

His second wife didn't really want my sister and me around.  He facilitated that.  Family 2.0 went much better than 1.0 for him.

My older half brother is the son he wanted me to be.

I've been told that I will regret not maintaining the relationship.  That may be true.  But all the work was on my end.  I gathered that he didn't really want to be Dad, so why force him?

I've never felt like I was worse off for not having him around since I gave up.