But as I opened my mouth to tell him, my dad bowed his head slightly and said, barely above a whisper, “Annie, I need to tell you something. I need to ask you to forgive me. I didn’t treat you right growing up. My dad raised me pretty rough. He did things to me I can’t talk about right now. I didn’t know how to be a father. And I’m sorry.” My father’s voice trembled as tears slid down the face of a man I had rarely seen cry.
