"You know I didn't have a father to teach me what it meant to be a man and a father." Skip revealed to him and Jayden was shocked to learn this.
"What? But… But…"
"If you're looking for someone to give you a road map in life telling you which way, where and when; you're going to always keep beating yourself up about what your parents did or didn't do. You're going to always be looking for answers about your past instead of building a life for your future. You're going to always be living in someone else's shadow." He sat the chairs down in the living room and they began setting them up around the TV.
"You find your own way as you travel down the road of life. Sometimes you have to even make a way out of no way. No one has the power and authority to define you but you. Stop giving your power away to a situation and a person that you had no control over. Your father is your father and you are you."
On February 1, 2009 Jennifer Hudson sung the National Anthem, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen and the E Street Band performed for the half time show and the Steelers defeated the Cardinals by the score of 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII[vii].
* * * * * * * * *
"You're here?" Jacob asked his son as he saw him approaching.
"Pops, you shouldn't be out of bed like this… You just got over that bout with pneumonia…" Jayden said as he entered the room and helped his father back into his bed.
"Where's Mia?" Jacob asked.
"You know she went to a tradeshow this weekend?"
"That's right… I forget sometimes."
"Did you take your medicine this morning?" Jayden asked checking his pillbox on his night stand.
"I'm not sure…." He answered back. Jayden opened up the box and saw that his Saturday morning pills were untouched.
"Here Pops…" He said shaking them out into his hand and then grabbing the pitcher of water and a cup. Jacob threw his pills into his mouth and Jayden passed him the cup of water.
"That's better… I can't stay long, just wanted to check on you before going to work and drop this off."
"What's that?" Jacob asked curiously looking at his son.
"An electric blanket. I remembered you said sometimes your legs get cold in here near the window." Jacob choked at his son's concern from him. What had he done in his life to deserve his love? Jayden unfolded the blanket and carefully spread it onto his father's bed tucking it in on the sides. He then got on his hands and knees going under the bed where the electrical outlet was kept and plugged it up. He then reached into his pocket twisted around reaching up for the plastic bag that he had carried the blanket in and pulled out a roll of duct tape. He then proceeded taping the cords down and out the way under the bed to prevent his father from tripping over it.