Dear Dad,
I'm not sure if me being your wild child is a good thing or a bad thing. The only reason I've been able to do things I was never expected to was because I've had your encouragement for everything I do.
I don't know if you realize this or not, but in each of your letters, you mention me and Zola being best friends and to never let anything change that. I know why you wrote that; don't you think your friendship with Derek is even stronger with everything you two have been through?
Now that I know about Ella, you know I'm probably going to ask you for more details. I'm curious about her and what happened. Did you know that Sloan and I have been emailing one another for the past few years? I got her email address from Lexie. I'd only met her a few times and I wanted to get to know my older sister better. She told me about how you offered to raise her baby. That made me realize that you really would do anything for your family, even if you just met them. I like to think that I'd do the same thing (the helping part, not the having a baby at 18 part).
Don't be surprised if the next time I see you, you get a hug from me. I'm sorry for not letting you in on what was going on with me the past few years. I'm still planning on pre-med, but I'm not going to be a surgeon. I haven't decided exactly what kind of doctor I want to be, but I still want to be a doctor, just like all four of my parents.
In one of your letters, you said that you were once told you would be a horrible father. I don't have anyone else to compare you to, but I think you have been a great father to me, Timmy, and Bethany. We all love you, even if we don't always show it. I'm so glad you decided to be a real parent and not just the cool uncle like was suggested. If you had just been the cool uncle, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be half the person I am today. There are so many things I learned from you that I wouldn't have learned if you weren't around as much.
I'm leaving for college next week, and your house is a lot closer to campus than Mami and Mom's, so you can almost guarantee that I'll be stopping by with my laundry every so often (and maybe get some real food.)
Love,
Sof