Thread: Father, My Father... [Aileenansidhe x Father Figure]

RE Father, My Father... That sorrow in his eyes was reflected ten fold as she spoke and he worried deep down if he had not prepared her for life without him, for a life that existed without him. These kind of regrets were nothing new to him and they only resonated more and more the older that she became. He knew he had directly impacted her life in a way that other young women did not quite have, a single father was a rarity and even more than that a single father who was a pastor. It had been a hard road establishing himself in a church congregation without having a wife, many parishioners had a problem with the idea of a single man being in the position of authority, but the story of his wife and her death was something that had allowed him to impress them with his willingness to be the kind of man who would raise Abby and still follow the word of the Lord. That dedication though was what caused such sorrow in him, because he knew deep down that one day he would be gone just as her mother was...and what would she have then other than the memories of one parents and the absence of the other? He gave a wane smile as she replied to him, his voice gentle and kind as answered her words. No, nobody made a suggestion of the sort like that. He gave a shrug of one large shoulder as he tried to decide what he wanted to say to her, what he should say. He never had that problem when he was speaking before the congregation, never had that problem when he was aiding others with their travails in their life. Instead the words always seem to come to him as if they were magic, speaking directly to the soul of the individual involved, and yet that always seemed lacking when he was speaking with her. It always seemed like everything he tried to say caught in his throat the moment before he said it. He understood deep down what the problem was, he felt it to his core, that the problem was he knew whatever he said would not measure up to what she deserved. Because it wasn't good enough for his little girl. He placed the hymnals up in the large cabinet, shutting the solid wood doors before turning to approach her, his form towering over his young girl but nowhere in an imposing fashion. His strong hands reached out to touch her shoulders, caressing for just a moment in a comforting fashion before giving a firm hold upon her and she could feel the power in those hands. Even in his middle age the strength and vitality of the older man radiated from him, a youth spent in sports having not gone to waste later in life. He leaned down and brushed his lips across her forehead, inhaling the scent of her as he pulled her into a hug and he sought the words to say, not wanting her in any way to feel as if he was reprimanding her or casting her out. No, that would be the worst that he could do, that would be the ultimate sin was to make her feel unwelcome in his home. He could never do that to his daughter. As his arms wrapped tighter he could not help but feel that small inkling of a thought in the back of his mind...of how very much like her mother she felt. His voice was calming. No, it is just that I want you to be happy. I know that seems quaint and trite, that it seems silly, but it is the honest truth. There is a large world out there, a world you've never seen. I saw quite a bit when I was young, but I took you away from it all. I worry, just a little, that it might have been a mistake to have done so.