Arriving home, I walked through the door, made my way into the kitchen, and got a glass of water. As I was leaving the kitchen, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my father was eating dinner in the dining room and watching a video on his phone. When he noticed me walking over, he said, “Hey there, kiddo. Want to join me while I finish eating?” As I got closer, I saw he was watching a video called Robotics and Our Future With Them.

Taking a seat, I took a breath and said, “Hey, Dad, can I ask you something?” I talked to my dad about many things, but I especially went to him for advice.

“Of course, spill the tea. Are the kids still saying that?” he said, pausing his video and taking a sip of water.

“Not really.” I chuckled. Clenching my glass, I took a deep breath and continued, “I’m just so confused about this whole dating thing, honestly. I met this girl on a dating app, and she was the first girl in a while that I actually really felt a genuine connection with. But after tonight, I’m almost sure she is lying about who she is or hiding some crazy secret. I just don’t know how I keep picking the wrong girls.” Then I told him what had happened at the mall.

“Wow, let’s back up for a second, jumping off a Christmas tree? That’s a bit much for a girl you have only texted for like a few weeks.” Dad chuckled. “Well, it’s not completely shocking. When you were a kid, you were always chasing pretty things, no matter the cost. But that’s beside the point. I’m just glad you didn’t get caught by some Paul Blart and were thrown in mall jail—or worse.” Dad took another sip from his glass, then took a moment to think. “Let’s start here—how do you feel about this whole situation?”

“I’m just so frustrated. I feel like when you show how much you love someone, you’re supposed to do it blindly by doing things for a person and giving all your heart to that person,” I said, feeling tears come down my face.

“I think there is something deeper you’re not saying. I know this can’t be over a girl who isn’t your girlfriend and you’ve never met in person,” Dad said.

Wiping the tears off my face and blowing my nose, I replied, “I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I feel like how I did back in college when I was dating Kelly.”

“You’ll have to refresh my memory. What happened to her again? It happened so long ago,” Dad said, taking another bite from his sandwich.

I prepared myself because it had been such a long time since I had to relive this moment. I knew it was going to open some old wounds. “Well, it all started my freshman year of college…”