Open Letter To The Children I’ll Never Have (Son) *

My brave son,

Someday, I’ll be pushing up daisies somewhere and you’ll be a man. You have a good name and reputation. Protect them fiercely like a mother hen guards her brood against wolves. The world is a big, scary place.

Don’t let it be your undoing. Your mom and I tried our best to shield you from all the bullshit and temptation, but we’re human. Along the way, mistakes were made and we fucked up. We couldn’t help it, we’re human after all.

I hope that you don’t have to face the loneliness and rejection that I did when I was your age. Go into the wild, my son. Find your place. If you manage to find a good woman, fight to keep her. Love her, not because she’s beautiful or she drives you up a wall. But because she believes in who you are and in your dreams.

I don’t have much that I’m proud of when I look back on my life. I was born too early and died too poor. However, one of the things I’m so grateful for is having you. You are handsome and strong and will become a much better man than I could ever dare to be. You’re already halfway there.

Look to the stars and never forget to dream. When it rains, I’ll be waiting outside so I can hold your hand and we can make a mess, splashing puddles and getting muddy like we used to. Those were the good old days.

Love,

Dad

-RD

*Special thanks to H. Nemesis Nyx, Ayesha Talib Wissanji, and Jennifer Smith