As a kid, my father used to give me insight on life. You know, the usual pep talks and words of wisdom about how a boy should go about becoming a man. To be honest with you, I didn't really take his advice, most of the time.
I was actually the well-behaved child in the family who did everything to make his parents proud. But, I bypassed my dad's words because his actions and lifestyle did not reflect his advice.
My father was an alcoholic and a heroin addict. At the time, when I was just a middle school student, I only knew about his alcohol addiction. I barely saw my father. He would come home from work, eat dinner, then head out to a bar with friends. After everyone went to bed, I would stay up, kneeling by the living room window, waiting for my dad to come home. As soon as I saw the car pulling into the driveway, I thanked God for bringing him home safely, ran into my...