You don’t come visit your daughter who lives with her grandmother—who don’t like you no way—with your new wife and eight month old son, just before her bedtime.
You don’t tell your little four-year-old daughter “Daddy will ALWAYS be there.” Then leave her with a picture of you and your new family.
You don’t expect to waltz back into her life and pick up right where you left off after 9 years, 10 months, 7 hours, 46 minutes, and 23 seconds of not being there.  Oh yea, she kept count.
You don’t expect her to still love you after all that. When she had nightmares about you leaving her in the middle of nowhere with a ratty little teddy bear with only one eye. When she couldn’t sleep without listening to that Luther Van Dross song at least five times. When she couldn’t blink without seeing your taillights speeding off into the night. When you joined the army to “take care of her.” ***** you got a degree go get a JOB.
You don’t expect her to still be good, perfect. When all her life she thought, “Maybe if I’m a good girl, maybe if I get all A’s all the time. Maybe he’ll come back. Maybe he’ll come hold me again. Take me out for ice cream and gummy bears. “ Even though she knew none of that would ever happen again.
Don’t expect her to still be an angel, when you’ve put her through Hell.