29 out of 31 SOL

I hit the doorbell button and pulled open the back room door at the same time, hoping to avoid the plops of rain dropping from the sky.  Wiping my feet I knocked on the door, "Hey, it's just me," I said as my dad rounded the corner into the back room.

"Come in, come in... you don't need to knock," answered my dad with a shake of his head.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you weren't sleeping or something," offering some kind of excuse because I'm still adjusting to my dad living in our rental house.    

"No, I wasn't sleeping, just watching the game," explained my dad.  "What are you doing out-and-about in this awful weather?" he asked.

Kicking off my boots, "I needed a break from reading student papers, so I drove over to see Jeff.  Do you have any pretzels or chips; something Jeff could eat as a snack?"

Jumping on my request, Dad yanked open the cupboard, "I've got cookies, chips and M&Ms," listed dad as he touched each item in the cupboard.  Not surprised that dad's cupboard was full of several junk food options.

"Oh, he's not fussy.  Here, let's put some cookies and M&Ms in a container," I said while digging around for a lid.  "Whoa, that's plenty," I continued as I noticed Dad adding more cookies to the container.

Good comes from life's challenges.  Have I come to terms with my parent's divorce?  No, and honestly I'm not sure I ever will.  Instead I've chosen to focus on the silver lining; getting to know my dad differently.  I'm building a relationship, on a different level, with my dad who worked two jobs, at times, to provide for his family, who I took for granted as a teenager and young adult and who seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings.