āMy dad is a character. Ā Literally. Ā His actual name is James. Ā But everyone calls him Buz, with only one āz.ā Ā He loves being the center of attention. Ā When I was a kid, whenever we took family photos, heād lift up his shirt to show off his hairy stomach. Ā And he still calls my grandmother every April Foolās day to tell her my mom is pregnant. Ā Not everyone thinks heās funny. Ā I used to be terrified that heād start talking to other parents at school dances. Ā Because he doesnāt really converse. Ā He just launches into stories. Ā And theyāre not always appropriate. Ā The letter writing started in fourth grade. Ā I went to a sleep away camp thirty minutes from my house, and he wrote me letters every day. Ā Then he did it again in fifth grade. Ā And sixth. Ā And seventh. Ā My trips to camp grew longer until I was working as a counselor and staying all summer. Ā And he still wrote me a letter, Ā every single day Ā The letters continued into college. Ā And I still get them today. Ā Iāve gotten almost 500 of them since I moved into this apartment, even though my dad lives 20 minutes down the street. Ā Most of the letters just talk about his day. Ā But they can also be very creative and hilarious. Ā He once wrote 250 words about his Subway sandwich. Ā I donāt think he can stop at this point. Ā Itās part of his character. Ā I wrote an article about him in my college paper, and he just loved being āthe guy who writes his daughter letters.ā Ā But I also view the letters as insane devotions of his love. Ā He cries every time he takes me to the airport. Ā He brings me flowers whenever Iām sad. Ā With all his quirks, I really lucked out with this guy. I was once talking with my friend, and I asked her if she thought my dad wasā¦ you knowā¦ a littleā¦ ādifferent.ā Ā And Iāve always remembered her response. Ā She said: āIf he is, would you even care?āā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā #quarantinestories
