She called him daddy her whole life, but never even knew.

It was a beautiful spring morning in Blue Springs Missouri, Katy Cahil, 18, was packing her things, getting
ready for the big day. Her whole life had been filled with enjoyable childhood memories and she
was now excited to rome the world as an adult. She met her best friend outside on the day she was leaving.
Her friend Amanda had been her life. They lived next door to each other since kindergarden and were always
by each other's side. Unfortunately, Amanda was a year younger than Katy, therefore it was time for the girls to say goodbye.
They hugged and cried and Amanda helped Katy pack up the car. Katy turned to her parents and cried as she hugged them and
walked to the car. She started it up and she was gone.

Katy's first month of settling in was hectic, and homework was over-whelming. But luckily throughout the year it started to settle down.
Everyone moved to the front of the class to grab an assigment sheet on their way out. A project due by the end of February. Katy took a quick
glance at it, expecting it to be the same old, three page essay on a bland topic. But to her suprise it was actually an interesting one.
It was a geneology project. Researching your ancestors and making a tree of, basically the people in your life and even the people who are no
longer in your life. She started on it right when she got back to her dorm. Right when she sat down, Amanda called. She got distracted from hearing
about her day and telling Amanda about her own day. So the project was left un-touched.

"I think we should tell her". Mitch, Katy's dad said. "She's going to have to know some time, so why not now. She's a young woman now,
we can't treat her like a child". Katy's mom paced the floor back and fourth. "I know, I know, I just don't want her to be hurt". Mitch stopped
her from pacing the floor and looked her in the eye. "She's going to be hurt, she's probably not going to talk to us for a long time, but it's something
that has to happen in order for her to know the truth. It's best for her. Trust me Laura. No one likes to be told a big secret their whole life."
Laura nodded and shrugged as though she was agreeing. "okay, we'll invite her to come spend the weekend with us and tell her then."

Katy's research on her geneology project wasn't making since to her. She threw her pen down in frustration and switched her computer off.
She grabbed her already packed bags and headed to her car. She was on her way to stay the weekend at her parent's house.
She told her mom and dad about the geneology project she was doing in school and told them how nothing was matching up correctly.
Laura had decided she would tell Katy, since it was her job to do so anyway. "Honey, why don't we take a walk". Katy looked up in confusion, at her mom and
then her dad. "okay", she agreed. The two got up and started down the dirt path. Mitch pulled the curtain to the side and watched them as they got further
and further out of sight.

"There's something I've never told you, that I should have when you got old enough. But I just never thought you were quite old enough. When you were
two years old, your father was involved in a drug deal and was sent to prision. His friend asked him this "favor" and
he said he could make some big bucks. I didn't know about it, but at the time we needed money, so he agreed. But the cops were around in the area. Someone
spotted the dealing and called the cops. They got there and your father was arrested. The other guy tried to take off and was shot by the police. I was so devistated,
I had lost my husband to something I didn't even know he was involved with. And he was to miss out on his daughter's life. He was sentenced for seven years,
but on the day of your third birthday, he died of a heart attack. I couldn't deal with the stress and pain I was going through, so I left you with your grandparetns
and left the state to get away. That's when I met Mitch. Katy's heart pounded so slow, but so hard. As she listened to her mom, she slowly stepped backwards as if
her mom was holding a gun up to her. Her mom began talking faster so that she could get the whole story in before Katy started to freak out. Mitch flew back with
me to Missouri to spend a few days with me. He met you and fell completely in love with you. He had never been married and had no kids. We fell in love and he
asked me to marry him. He was the greatest father to you, he gave up a lot of things just to be with you. You were everything to him. He even cut down on work
when his business was going strong, to make sure he had time to play with you and to take care of you. He wanted you to have a father figure in your life."

She slowed down to take a breathe and Katy just shook her head as if she didn't believe it. "Are you saying that Mitch isn't my real father?" Her mother looked down
and stared at the road. Then she looked back up at Katy and shook her head. "Yes, that's what I'm saying." Katy took off running in the direction to the house.
Her mother started after her repeatedly yelling her name. katy kept running, and her mother stopped to catch a breath. Katy reached the house and burst open the
door. Mitch was sitting in the sofa in the living room. "I can't believe you lied to me. My whole life, you've been faking. You're not my father and you don't love
me"! Mitch got up and raced over to where katy was standing. "That's not true Katy, I love you very much". Katy started crying and began to sink down to the floor.
Mitch grabbed her in his arms and stood hugging her. "I may not be your real father, but I feel as though you're my real daughter. And I love you like my own.

Once Katy settled down, they sat in the living room and drank some tea. "I know exactly how you feel you know".Still upset, Katy looked him in the eyes and responded in a cocky attitude. "Oh yeah, and how's that."
Mitch looked down at his hands that were clenched together. "The same thing happend to me when I was a kid. My mother died giving birth to me. My father quickly
re-married and my whole life I thought that Angie was my mother. My father told me the truth on my sixteenth birthday.
I was furious. I stopped talking to him for 3 months. But there was something else I didn't know. When I was eleven years old, one of my lungs collapsed.
It was Angie who decided to go in for surgery, to remove one of her lungs to give me a second healthy lung. Everything was fine, but one week later, she got an infection.
With time, It got worse and with only one lung now, her strength was lessened. She died in her sleep one night. I was told the truth as far as her dying
in her sleep, but my father never told me all of the other details. He didn't want me to blame myself. Angie gave up a lot for me. There was no way I could continue being
upset at the situation. Sure I was upset that I had never met my real mother, and I wish my dad had just told me, but we only wish the person would have told us
once we're older. But do you think I would have been able to handle all of that being eleven years old? Your mother was just protecting you from having to handle all of that stress at such a young age. So please don't be upset with her. And just know, I love you with all of my heart.

Katy looked deep into Mitch's eyes. She sat back and her head hung so low that her shoulders were way ahead of her. She had thought of Mitch as her father this whole
time, and she really did love him. And it was right then that she decided to move on and continue loving him for who he was, her loving father.