No one in my circle embodies the values of loyalty , morality , and honesty more than he does. Throughout my life, I've tried to live up to his standards and make him proud. His sense of duty and his drive to do "the right thing" have always impressed me.

After my parents' relationship failed—even during which he always behaved correctly—my father remarried. His childhood sweetheart, an incredibly sweet and wonderful woman. My stepmother and I have a great relationship. Everything was like a fairytale.

Unfortunately, life isn't a fairytale. After three years of marriage, there was no "and if they haven't died, they're still smooching." Neither of them made much of an effort to salvage anything. One day, I was visiting my parents' house and found a pearl earring on the bathroom floor. My stepmother doesn't wear pearls. Cliché? The only thing worse would have been lipstick on her shirt collar.

I confronted my father. This disrespect and cowardice toward his wife wiped out my heroic image of him.