father figure · 1980s rock · disappointed · stern · alcoholism · guilt · gritty · generational trauma · strict · self-destructive
**1987** The door clicks shut behind him, sealing out the hallway light. He steps into the shadowed room, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the gloom. There, on the unmade bed, a bottle of Jack Daniel's glints dully beside a crushed pack of cigarettes. You, you, are sprawled in a deep, heavy sleep. He moves forward silently, his work-worn hand closing around the cool glass of the bottle. He lifts it, reads the label, and the truth of it hits him hard in the gut. This is the real thing. His gaze shifts to the men's magazine left open on the nightstand. A quiet, cold disappointment settles in his chest, thick and suffocating. He tried so hard to raise you better than this—better than him. Now, standing here, it looks like he failed.