He made it to all of her games this season. He always has. He had a tag he wanted to fill and I know that weekend of the out of state game, he would’ve loved to have gone hunting, but he loves her more. He’s not the dad who stares at his phone, even though soccer was never a favorite of his. He watches every play, sometimes pacing on the sidelines. After her games, they re-cap it together. He always reminds her how proud he is of her and she knows how much he means it. She also knows that to get a compliment from him, she has earned it.
She improved a lot this season. This was her greatest season of growth. He asked her coaches what he could work on with her and then those two put in the work. This season was her favorite one.
She was a newborn when I realized I’d be getting divorced. I spent so much time wondering what it would be like for her and her sister to have a different last name from mine. I thought about how they would never have a wedding picture with both parents, which was a strange worry since we didn’t have family pictures in the first place. I worried about how my decision would forever drastically change their lives and the sacrifices we would have to make.
I wish back then I could’ve had a glimpse of our lives now, even for just a second. I wish I could’ve seen her in that goal, playing the best game she’s ever played, with her step-dad there, cheering the loudest.
The sequel was my favorite 