Father of mine part four
(The cliffhangers are in-group. Daisy and her dad are present.)
"Ok, Cliffhangers," Sophie says, trying hard to figure out why Daisy had agreed to let her father come to group. Maybe there was a chance she'd forgive him. "Let's start by saying how were feeling and why." She turns to Auggie who is next to her. " Auggie?"
"Well, I'm feeling happy, because I don't have to write an essay."
"I feel good, "Julliette says, "Because I am who I am."
"I feel worried, for my friend." Shelby says, drawling a look from Daisy, who had been watching her father since the two sat down.
"I feel energetic, because it's fall and I remember playing football on days like this." Scott says.
"I feel lousy because I'm in group." David says.
"I feel sad, because I miss my brother." Sara says.
"I'm feeling torn, because I know soon I will know which parent I will end up living with." Ezra says.
The group looked to Daisy who was watching her father. "I feel darkened," She said never taking her eyes off of him, "Because there are evil spirits among us." She smirks watching her fathers reaction.
Sophie clears her throat, "Is there any issues any of you would like to address, before we continue?"
Everyone just sort of looks at each other. Most want to know what's going on with Daisy and her dad, but are sort of afraid to ask. Tension is very high.
"All right," Sophie says, trying to think of something to do. Everyone is thrown off by the presence of Daisy's dad and the tension between them.
"Why don't we discuss forgiveness?" Peter says, knowing that Sophie is faltering due to the tension. "Who wants to start?" Peter asks, surveying the group. Sophie throws him a grateful look.
"Well, it can be hard to forgive someone." Julliette says. "Especially if they've caused you harm."
"It can be hard to forgive someone." Sara says, "Especially if they do something that is completely unforgivable." She says almost angrily, but she manages to rein in her anger.
"I guess it depends on what you consider unforgivable." Ezra says.
"It doesn't have to do with what you consider forgivable, if someone hurts you enough, you shouldn't have to forgive them." Shelby says.
"But, by not forgiving them, you allow them to hurt you more." Sara says.
"No by forgiving them, you allow them to hurt you more." Daisy says. The group looks to her.
"You want to explain that, Daisy?" Peter asks.
"If you don't forgive someone, then they can't hurt you." She says. "Once you allow them to come back into your life they will only hurt you. They've already proven they will by hurting you in the first place. If they had done nothing, you wouldn't have to forgive them."
"Daisy, by not forgiving someone, you end up holding in anger and resentment. And you can turn that on others, or yourself who don't deserve it." Sophie says.
"Well, as Sara said, 'If they do something unforgivable, then you shouldn't have to forgive them.'"
"But by not forgiving someone you give them more power to hurt you." Sara said. "Yea," Shelby agreed. "hating someone can use up a lot of energy."
"Yea, so can ducking punches." Daisy said quietly giving her father a cold steely glare. The group is sort of shocked by this statement and are quiet for a moment.
"I think maybe I should leave." Her father said quietly to Peter, but the entire group heard.
"Why, daddy can't handle the truth?" Daisy said, going back to her angry sarcastic manner.
Her father stands wearily, "I know I made mistakes. If I could go back..."
"You can't go back, daddy. You can't take away what happened."
"Look, we both made mistakes that night." He says and pauses, thinking of his wife. "We all made mistakes."
"Was I a mistake?" She asks.
He looks hurt, " No. Daisy you were never a mistake, you were... you were my little girl."
"Were being the keyword there daddy." She says standing up.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Oh you didn't? Did you mean it when you told me that at my mother's funeral?" He looks at her confused. " Figures, you were propably too busy missing the bottle to pay much attention to your dead wife or your daughter." She is trying to control her anger. She turns and starts to walk away, knowing if she starts to tell him, she won't stop.
"Daisy," Her father starts to say, but he is unsure of the words. She turns back and looks at him. For a moment sadness is on her face.
She scoffs, sadly. "You never did know what to say to me did you? Even at mom's funeral. My own father could think of nothing to comfort me." She pauses. "That alone is unforgivable, but to also tell me that I was your little girl once." She looks at him in disgust and disbeleif. "I needed you. I wouldn't admit it, but I needed my father. My mother was dead and all I could get from you was that I was your little girl once." She is fighting back tears.
"Those first few days," He says his voice thick with emotion, "I was so ... so" He searches for the right word. "I was distraught. I blamed myself and I wasn't thinking clearly. My wife had just died." He stops, sadness showing on his face. "I needed you too. But you showed up in that goth attire, I figured nothing had changed."
Daisy looks at him. "You blame me daddy? What kind of father are you? You can't accept blame for anything can you? You always make excuses. Why couldn't you have comforted me? Why couldn't you just say I was your little girl, your daughter, instead of you were my little girl once?" She pauses. "I think mom died knowing she was a bad mother. I think she regretted not being able to care for me, but you daddy." She shakes her head. "You have no idea how bad a father you are. If you knew you never would have come here, let alone have asked me to try and repair our relationship."
He looks hurt. "I know I've hurt you. And I know it will be hard for us to be able to repair our relationship, but I'd like to try." He pauses. "I do love you Daisy. In my own way."
"Yea, you love me just like mother did. She loved the bottle more then she loved me, I guess you did too." She says angrily.
"I know I hurt you and I'm sorry, but how do I make this up to you, because I want to."
"You can't. I can't forgive you. I hate you both for what you did to me, I hate mother for what she did to me and I hate you for what you did to me." She shouts. "And I hate you for what you are doing to me."
"I'm only trying to get to know you Daisy."
"No your trying to force yourself upon me." She says and steps forward towards him. "All my life, all I wanted was parents. Parents who were loving and caring and came to my school assemblys and all that, but instead I got parents who were alcoholics, who wouldn't know love if it crawled in front of them. I wanted a father." She looks to him, "Instead I got you."
"What about you?" He asks, finally getting angry. "Your not perfect, you made mistakes. You know I wanted a daughter who was respectable not one that was carted off to a school for delinquents."
"We are not delinquents. The only reason most of us are here is because our parents are screwed up. You know, I only did what I did because you drove me to that! Had you not threatened to hit me, I wouldn't have defended myself." She shouts at him.
"You know, I think I'm beginning to see why your mother and I always drank so much when you were home." He shouts back angrily.
Daisy flinches have if having been slapped, but then rage overtakes her and she jumps at her father pushing him as hard as she can. Her father almost falls, but catches himself and heads towards her, hand raised as if he's going to hit her.
"Go ahead hit me!" Daisy screams as Peter restrains her. " Show them all what kind of a father you really are!" Her father realizes that the cliffhangers have witnessed the entire scene. He pales at having lost his temper.
"Let me go." She says and pulls away from Peter.
(The cliffhangers are in-group. Daisy and her dad are present.)
"Ok, Cliffhangers," Sophie says, trying hard to figure out why Daisy had agreed to let her father come to group. Maybe there was a chance she'd forgive him. "Let's start by saying how were feeling and why." She turns to Auggie who is next to her. " Auggie?"
"Well, I'm feeling happy, because I don't have to write an essay."
"I feel good, "Julliette says, "Because I am who I am."
"I feel worried, for my friend." Shelby says, drawling a look from Daisy, who had been watching her father since the two sat down.
"I feel energetic, because it's fall and I remember playing football on days like this." Scott says.
"I feel lousy because I'm in group." David says.
"I feel sad, because I miss my brother." Sara says.
"I'm feeling torn, because I know soon I will know which parent I will end up living with." Ezra says.
The group looked to Daisy who was watching her father. "I feel darkened," She said never taking her eyes off of him, "Because there are evil spirits among us." She smirks watching her fathers reaction.
Sophie clears her throat, "Is there any issues any of you would like to address, before we continue?"
Everyone just sort of looks at each other. Most want to know what's going on with Daisy and her dad, but are sort of afraid to ask. Tension is very high.
"All right," Sophie says, trying to think of something to do. Everyone is thrown off by the presence of Daisy's dad and the tension between them.
"Why don't we discuss forgiveness?" Peter says, knowing that Sophie is faltering due to the tension. "Who wants to start?" Peter asks, surveying the group. Sophie throws him a grateful look.
"Well, it can be hard to forgive someone." Julliette says. "Especially if they've caused you harm."
"It can be hard to forgive someone." Sara says, "Especially if they do something that is completely unforgivable." She says almost angrily, but she manages to rein in her anger.
"I guess it depends on what you consider unforgivable." Ezra says.
"It doesn't have to do with what you consider forgivable, if someone hurts you enough, you shouldn't have to forgive them." Shelby says.
"But, by not forgiving them, you allow them to hurt you more." Sara says.
"No by forgiving them, you allow them to hurt you more." Daisy says. The group looks to her.
"You want to explain that, Daisy?" Peter asks.
"If you don't forgive someone, then they can't hurt you." She says. "Once you allow them to come back into your life they will only hurt you. They've already proven they will by hurting you in the first place. If they had done nothing, you wouldn't have to forgive them."
"Daisy, by not forgiving someone, you end up holding in anger and resentment. And you can turn that on others, or yourself who don't deserve it." Sophie says.
"Well, as Sara said, 'If they do something unforgivable, then you shouldn't have to forgive them.'"
"But by not forgiving someone you give them more power to hurt you." Sara said. "Yea," Shelby agreed. "hating someone can use up a lot of energy."
"Yea, so can ducking punches." Daisy said quietly giving her father a cold steely glare. The group is sort of shocked by this statement and are quiet for a moment.
"I think maybe I should leave." Her father said quietly to Peter, but the entire group heard.
"Why, daddy can't handle the truth?" Daisy said, going back to her angry sarcastic manner.
Her father stands wearily, "I know I made mistakes. If I could go back..."
"You can't go back, daddy. You can't take away what happened."
"Look, we both made mistakes that night." He says and pauses, thinking of his wife. "We all made mistakes."
"Was I a mistake?" She asks.
He looks hurt, " No. Daisy you were never a mistake, you were... you were my little girl."
"Were being the keyword there daddy." She says standing up.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Oh you didn't? Did you mean it when you told me that at my mother's funeral?" He looks at her confused. " Figures, you were propably too busy missing the bottle to pay much attention to your dead wife or your daughter." She is trying to control her anger. She turns and starts to walk away, knowing if she starts to tell him, she won't stop.
"Daisy," Her father starts to say, but he is unsure of the words. She turns back and looks at him. For a moment sadness is on her face.
She scoffs, sadly. "You never did know what to say to me did you? Even at mom's funeral. My own father could think of nothing to comfort me." She pauses. "That alone is unforgivable, but to also tell me that I was your little girl once." She looks at him in disgust and disbeleif. "I needed you. I wouldn't admit it, but I needed my father. My mother was dead and all I could get from you was that I was your little girl once." She is fighting back tears.
"Those first few days," He says his voice thick with emotion, "I was so ... so" He searches for the right word. "I was distraught. I blamed myself and I wasn't thinking clearly. My wife had just died." He stops, sadness showing on his face. "I needed you too. But you showed up in that goth attire, I figured nothing had changed."
Daisy looks at him. "You blame me daddy? What kind of father are you? You can't accept blame for anything can you? You always make excuses. Why couldn't you have comforted me? Why couldn't you just say I was your little girl, your daughter, instead of you were my little girl once?" She pauses. "I think mom died knowing she was a bad mother. I think she regretted not being able to care for me, but you daddy." She shakes her head. "You have no idea how bad a father you are. If you knew you never would have come here, let alone have asked me to try and repair our relationship."
He looks hurt. "I know I've hurt you. And I know it will be hard for us to be able to repair our relationship, but I'd like to try." He pauses. "I do love you Daisy. In my own way."
"Yea, you love me just like mother did. She loved the bottle more then she loved me, I guess you did too." She says angrily.
"I know I hurt you and I'm sorry, but how do I make this up to you, because I want to."
"You can't. I can't forgive you. I hate you both for what you did to me, I hate mother for what she did to me and I hate you for what you did to me." She shouts. "And I hate you for what you are doing to me."
"I'm only trying to get to know you Daisy."
"No your trying to force yourself upon me." She says and steps forward towards him. "All my life, all I wanted was parents. Parents who were loving and caring and came to my school assemblys and all that, but instead I got parents who were alcoholics, who wouldn't know love if it crawled in front of them. I wanted a father." She looks to him, "Instead I got you."
"What about you?" He asks, finally getting angry. "Your not perfect, you made mistakes. You know I wanted a daughter who was respectable not one that was carted off to a school for delinquents."
"We are not delinquents. The only reason most of us are here is because our parents are screwed up. You know, I only did what I did because you drove me to that! Had you not threatened to hit me, I wouldn't have defended myself." She shouts at him.
"You know, I think I'm beginning to see why your mother and I always drank so much when you were home." He shouts back angrily.
Daisy flinches have if having been slapped, but then rage overtakes her and she jumps at her father pushing him as hard as she can. Her father almost falls, but catches himself and heads towards her, hand raised as if he's going to hit her.
"Go ahead hit me!" Daisy screams as Peter restrains her. " Show them all what kind of a father you really are!" Her father realizes that the cliffhangers have witnessed the entire scene. He pales at having lost his temper.
"Let me go." She says and pulls away from Peter.
