don't cry for me - no really.

I grew up in a mostly single parent household. Mom had boyfriends over the years, and eventually I had a little sister.

Most of my friends and cousins, whatever, have two parent households. Which is fine - but as a child, it always made me feel like the odd man out. I was the only one who didn't do fathers day and all that nonsense. Now that I'm older, it doesn't bug me. Especially since my mom's last boyfriend was around for eleven years.

They're not together now, but he still acts like the dad I wish I had growing up. He's still there for emotional support, and he takes my sister and I out whenever we need it, sometimes even when we just want it. Which is awesome, it really is.

However, I have to say that I absolutely cannot stand when my biological father calls me. You see, it wasn't that him and Mom broke up. They didn't have a fight. No one was cheating.

One day he went to the store and just never came back. I was still incredibly small, and after three days, he called Mom and said it was over.

So, wow. I saw him maybe four or five times over the years, until it just...stopped. Around the time I turned twelve. Which again, was fine. I don't want him to call. Whenever he did, I ended up being disapointed weeks later. Mom got tired of watching me wait at the window, sitting for hours, hoping my dad would actually show up.

She got tired of making excuses for him, and I got tired of listening to excuses. He was basically forgotten.

Then last year - in 2010 - he started calling. He talks to me for maybe five minutes, then wants to talk to Mom...for hours. Clearly he wants nothing to do with me.

After a drunken phone call a few weeks back, I began calling him in a desperate attempt to get my brothers phone number. We're related via Father Dearest, and haven't seen each other in a few years. Fantastic. Well, Father Dearest doesn't answer his phone.

He calls last night, and gives me three numbers after making me feel like garbage (because, as we all know, fifty five year old alcoholics who don't have high schools diploma's let alone college degrees, are so much better than their educatee year old, trying to find a job daughters.)

1. My brother
2. My brother's mother
3. My aunt, who doesn't know who I am.

One and Two did not work. Number three called me back today. Three says she will email One and Two my phone number and other information, so they can get ahold of me.

So dear readers, my questions of today are as follow:

- Do you have any "dead beat parents", or did you grow up in a single parents house hold?
- Was it with Mom or Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Gramma, Grampa?
- Reasons?
- Any long lost relative you'd like to get ahold of?
- Any idea how?