As a young child growing up I adored both of my parents, as most children do, and never had any bad thoughts of them in any regard. I viewed my parents as royalty. In my eyes my father was a king. When I was young my father was always involved with my life and the activities that I was interested in. He was always up for a game of catch or throwing the football around with me, even after a long day of work . I can remember him saying "Put your fingers on the laces, its easier to throw that way". Even on days when it was cold enough to see your breath, we would go outside to toss the football around. I grew to admire the fact that he cared about me and always had time for me. Through my eyes he was the best father that I could have possibly asked for.
             Until the age of twelve I built a strong and stable relationship with my father. He was not only my parent; he was my best friend. I never thought that particular aspect of my life would change. I was in for the shock of my life.
             When I was thirteen, my parents decided to get divorced. This news came as a disaster to me. This could not happen to me, not to my family. After I finally realized that this was not a nightmare, I had to deal with the situation. This event would change my life. My parents gave me the typical speech: "We both love you very much, and this is not your fault." That didn't make the situation not less painful.
             I remember the day that I received this horrific news as if it was yesterday. It was July 12th, 1994. This day started out as most summer days did. I recall that the temperature was very humid that day, and I was glad to have air conditioning. I scarfed down a bowl of cereal in the morning and then ran off to play baseball with Dan, Brad and Doug; my neighborhood friends. On my way out I glanced at my father before he left for work. He was the head of a bank in downtown Pittsburgh. As usual he had on a black sui
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