How do you think Billie’s life would have turned out if her father had lived?
If Billie’s father had lived, she would have experienced genuine love, laughter and support. None of which she received from her mother.
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I agree with Melissa. I think he would have nurtured her in a way that would have improved her spirit and would have encouraged her to improve her life.
I think on one hand she would have had more fun, taken on less “adult” responsibilities and she would have built stronger relationships, based on the fact that her father spent time with her.
On the other hand, I feel her father was such a nomad and a flake she would not have had her Colorado adventure.
I like to think that perhaps her father would have recognized her intelligence and encouraged her to do something with her life and would have helped to provided opportunities for her to do so. Wishful thinking perhaps.
Billie likely would have had a better childhood and teen years. She might have joined him in the summer months. What might he have told her about her mother, though? Daddy did like being on the road without his family, too. He seemed to be able to provide the family with money, but there was a huge wall between the parents, which Billie would have felt more forcefully had he lived.
I’d like to think her life would have had more love and been easier overall. If her father lived and mostly had a positive impact on Billie, it could have made for a different story.
If he had lived, Billie likely would’ve had more emotional grounding and advocacy. He might have helped interpret the world for her and protect her from some of the harsher misunderstandings she faces. Without him, she’s left navigating everything alone, which intensifies both her isolation and her inner world.
His love for her was unconditional whereas others expected her to conform to the norm and not be an “odd wad.” I think she felt that she had to earn their love; her father gave it freely.
I think she would have been a different person, had more confidence in herself. She would have had the love from her father that she did not get from her mother.