To The Men That Raised Me.

This is a something small I would like to write about my uncle and my father.
The man I called daddy is not my real father he is the man that stepped into the position when the first man dropped the damn ball. My Biological father is a homosexual that wanted to try and pretend that he was straight in order to please society. He figured out he wanted to live his alternative lifestyle 2 weeks after him and my mother married. In that two week time my mother conceived me. My mother was very fortunate to have called it quits with him because now he is HIV positive. This is a blessing because there are many children born with HIV and AIDS every day.
When my mother moved back in with my grandparents, my uncle already had one child of his own and decided to step into the picture as alternative daddy/uncle for his newborn niece. (He now has two sons and a daughter and still has the time and money to care for me). The man I call daddy came into the picture when I was 2 years old and I believed he was my biological father until my mother let me know he wasn’t at the age of 5. But, that never changed my feelings towards my daddy; Even when my parents separated at the age of 9. He will always be my daddy. When my mother remarried he still kept in contact with me and my progress. He has two children of his own and he made sure I was the third and everyone knows it. I remember one of his girlfriends called me a Bitch; he did not take kindly to that. When I was older my mother told me my father was an ex-crack head. That was hard for me to believe because he was a functional crack head; he took care of me, never ever harmed me and went to work every day to provide for us.
I am now in my 20’s and my uncle and my daddy has been there for everything. The sex talk, the teaching me how to drive, the taking care of me while I was sick, paying for prom, the dating, the let downs, and the pickups. They have done it all and continue to this day to still give advice, great words of encouragement and the occasional monetary donation to my struggling life as a college student. (Both of them have always rode my ass about education, I have always been on top in majority of my classes).
Yes, my father had infidelity issues and my uncle still do but that did not affect me like most girls causing them to have major trust issues with men. My father and my uncle showed me from an early age how to be independent, strong and how to be treated like a lady. They insured me I was beautiful and made sure I was not one of the girls in the street looking for love. When I miscarried they were more sympathetic than my mother and offered more reassurance than anyone could ask for. They also taught me how to suck it up and do what needs to be done. I am not the girl who is afraid to break a nail or sweat my hair out because I am too prissy. I can change a tire, replace an alternator do minor carpentry work, garden, cut grass, and still cook, clean and raise a family. In a nut shell I am “An All Around Woman” thanks to the men that raised me. I pray that they are around to teach my children the things they taught me and make them productive members of society.