When I was growing up, my mom was a teen mother. She had me when she was just 17

When I was growing up, my mom was a teen mother. She had me when she was just 17, and didn’t want much to do with me. So, my grandparents and my aunt Sue, who was 20 at the time, ended up raising me.

Aunt Sue had been dating a man named Michael for five years, and they were supposed to get married, but they broke up before it happened. Michael wasn’t related to me, and he and Aunt Sue never got back together.

Even though they broke up, Michael stayed in my life. He didn’t seem to have a regular job, so he’d come by my grandparents’ house often. Sometimes he’d take me to Funworld, the movies, bowling, or even the plumbing store to get parts for the house. He would sometimes take me to a bar (it was the 80s) or to McDonald's. His car was always messy, with trash everywhere, and he was always low on gas. He even let me drive his car when I was only 8.

We’d visit his mom, who was nice and always gave me treats. Michael would often call me on the phone, and we’d talk for hours about school gossip, teachers, and just silly things like making songs about kids at school.

Michael never knocked on the door, he’d just walk in, and my grandfather would joke about it. My grandmother would make him tea with extra cream and sugar, and he’d try to talk to my grandfather, though it usually ended in a political argument.

He always bought me great presents for birthdays and Christmas. One year, he got me an Atari, and later on, he bought me a bicycle, a trampoline, a Sony Walkman, a big fish tank with tropical fish, and even a dog named Sammy. He always gave me expensive gifts.

When his house was built in the woods, we’d look for salamanders and wolf spiders. I remember one time he brought me a salamander in a butter container, but my grandmother accidentally left it in the sun, and it died.

He helped me win a granite collecting competition with the neighbor kids by bringing me a bunch of old granite from some houses he worked on. I definitely won after that.

He even bought one of the ugly flower arrangements I made when I was about 9 or 10. It stayed in his house for years.

On Father’s Day, my grandmother made sure I gave him a gift, and when I got married, I gave him back the fish tank he’d bought me when I couldn’t keep it anymore. My favorite fish, Trash Can, lived for 15 years and passed away when I was in my 20s.

Looking back, I realize Michael never did anything inappropriate or hurtful. He was like a big kid who never grew up. I don’t think I’d be okay with an older man showing such interest in my own daughter, but with Michael, I was lucky. He was a huge part of my childhood and early adulthood, and he showed more care and interest than a lot of fathers do for their own children.

After my grandparents passed away, we lost contact. He’s not on social media, and I don’t think he lives in the same house anymore. I often wonder what happened to him.