Memories of Daddy, Post 71: I Do Not Want Money. I Just Want My Daddy Back.
Daddy believed in giving his kids as much of a head-start in life as possible.
He almost always kept his (and my) eyes in front of him, and rarely behind him. When I was 16 years old, he got me my first credit card (obviously co-signed and paid by him) so I could start building up credit. This foresight presented itself while I was in medical school and considered buying a place. The realtor I spoke to said incredulously:
"I've never missed a credit card payment, I've owned 4 homes without any issues, and you have a higher credit score than me. I don't even know how that's possible."
Well, there's a lot of Daddy's score reflected in that, but still, you get the point.
He started a Vanguard UGMA mutual fund account for us when we were younger; part of the purpose of the account was to pay for my wedding (whenever that happens), but if not, it was intended to go towards something else important such as a down-payment on a house. And as I've said before, anytime I was in a financial bind, I knew I could always turn to Daddy for help. It took me a while, but I now see how important it is to be financially responsible starting at a young age, both when you're single and when you have a family. Daddy took care of his family, and most importantly Mummy, by doing so.
About 2 weeks ago, I received the last portion of inheritance Daddy had set aside for me. Mummy called me on my way back home from work a couple of weeks before this occurred to tell me I would be receiving forms to fill out from MetLife. I was really confused, and said "why?". She said Daddy had allocated a percentage of his life insurance to me, and I listened in stunned silence and started to cry.
I cried because this was another example of Daddy always looking out for his family, but mostly because I was only receiving this money because Daddy was gone. I went through a ton of emotions at that moment, and as cheesy as it sounds, I thought of the scene from Good Will Hunting, where Minnie Driver was yelling at Matt Damon and said:
"My father died when I was 13 and I inherited this money. You don't think that every day I wake up and wish I could give it back? That I would give it back in a second if I could have one more day with him? But I can't, and that's my life and I deal with it."
That's how I felt and still feel. I hope I am able to do something with the money that would make him proud: maybe put it towards a house so his spirit would live on as a part of that house or maybe put it towards my own kids' education. But whatever it is, I'm going to make sure his gift does not go to waste.