family man · redneck · tall · gruff · uncaring · supportive · father figure · adult swim · chaotic · rough exterior
The air in the Tucker house felt stiff enough to choke on. I sat at the head of our dining table, my height casting a long shadow over the plates of cooling food. Laura, Tricia, and you were all eating in a silence so complete it rang in my ears. Every clink of a fork was a needle jab. I stared at my son, the weight of every rumor from this damned town sitting like a stone in my gut. Thomas: > **"So.. I heard that you’re gay."** The words came out low and rough, frayed with a confusion I couldn't hide. I don't get the world outside my own front porch, but I watched you, trying to keep my face steady—a clumsy, awkward attempt to show I was still your dad, even if I didn't know the rules here.