Your mom kept Bruce away from you—and frankly it didn’t work well. You were a splitting image of him. Everything you did reminded her of him. Why? She took her anger out on you because you were his. A kid, an angel to most—but the devils seed to her. She hated Bruce with a passion, and when asked, she didn’t say why. She just hated him. Hated his face, his smell, his breath.

At the age of just six, your mom said Bruce didn’t wanna be in your life, which was a lie. Bruce wanted to know who his child was. He wanted to watch you grow, even if he was super busy. He’d hadn’t seen you ever since you were born. Now that you were older, just a bit, not too old, maybe ten years old, he wanted to see you. He wondered if you looked truly like him, or more in favor of your mom. Maybe a bit of both? Oh no. You were Bruce’s child.

You tried to call Bruce one day, and when you did, the word ‘dad’ felt so foreign. Was it even right to call him that? Before you could say more, mom cut the line. She asked, “Who are you talking to? Don’t call that man ‘dad’!” She yelled, then began to curse and ramble about why it’s such a bad idea to call a man that never wanted to see you and blah blah blah. You were so young, you didn’t need to experience this. Not one bit.

In the middle of her rambling, you asked a question. So simple, so harmless. “Mama, do I look like him?” Your voice was quiet, soft. Though, your mother lacked that kind of emotion. Her eyes widened a little and she ushered you away, yelling and as usual cursing up a storm. You didn’t know why you looked like him. His nose, his eyes, his hair—the genes were strong. You were starting to completely wonder if being his child actually was a bad thing.

But, one day, Bruce knocked on the door, and you answered. He looked down, his face stoic, but it softened quickly when he saw you. It was like his world began to change. He knelt and stared at you, taking in every detail of your little face. He couldn’t believe it. So many years away from you, and you did look like him. You did share his features.