I emailed a name when I was eighteen, a request to join a German class after add/drop week had passed. They said, “it is a bit late now, but I would welcome you in the class”. Strings of emails went between us, emails I shall remember, emails with pure kindness in them. Because kindness continued to exist beyond emails. Because I told my roommate how kind they were in their emails. Because my roommate read their emails too. Because his name was genderless; much like his heart. Because his class felt safe from the first day. Because for once I wasn’t on guard in a class on my first day. Because in other classrooms I was. Because he and five boys felt safe. Because his classes were at night. Because he became a dad to me. Because he was madly in love with his wife. Because he spoke of her so fondly; Because he was in love with her. Because he was not tired of her. Because he gave me hope. Because he was a stranger who I told that I was dying. Because he wished me well when I went under surgery. Because he reminded my roommate of a golden retriever. Because my roommate had never met him and knew if she was ever in danger that he was a sanctuary. Because an accusation was thrown on him. Because an accusation was thrown on I. Because I carry the heart of a fatherless child. Because the world wishes to keep me fatherless. Because the first words out of my mother’s mouth were “is the person who said this childless?”. Because childless people do not understand the hearts of children, especially fatherless children. Because fatherless adults wish to compare themselves to fatherless children. Because I was in the fifth grade when my teacher’s father passed. Because she said “now we both don’t have fathers”. Because when I was eighteen, my teacher missed her pop-pop dearly. Because she told me I loved him in a way that women love their men. Because it was a reminder that I am a fatherless child. Because I went home and cried. Because I still cry. Because I cried so much, I scared my roommate. Because I wrote him an email saying “I wish to discuss something in person”. Because he emailed back ten minutes later asking me if I was okay. Because he gave me the number for campus police. Because he thought I was in danger. Because he shared with me a complete hand-out of every resource available in Indiana. Because he was worried. Because he emailed me. Because he said he would be in his office the day prior to class. Because he had a passion for teaching. Because he was my male role model. Because I told him about my love for rock music. Because I told him I could drive a Jet-Ski. Because I wasn’t scared of him. Because I was never scared of him. Because I wasn’t scared of the name welcoming me in class. Because Ich kann Deutsch.