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If I could give you the father that you never
had, I would.

If I could give you all the birthdays that
should have been celebrated with presents and
a cake, I would.

If I could give you the happy childhood that
was taken from you, I would.

If I could give you the first kiss that would
have taken your breath away, I would.

If I could make the first girl that you ever loved
love you back, I would.

If I could give you the sweetheart and love of
your life that you deserve, I would.

If I could give you all the friends whose lives
would be so much richer by knowing you, I would.

If I could give you the cherished memories that you
never had a chance to make, I would.

If I could bring back your dead grandmother who
held you in her arms as an infant, I would.

If I could give you back the college education that
tragedy stole from you, I would.

If I could have protected you from the betrayal and
treachery of those who only pretended to be your
friends, I would.

If I could give you the wife that you never met and
married, I would.

If I could give you the children that you’ve never
been a father to, I would.

If I could bring a good man into your mother’s life
to love her and to keep her company in her old age, I
would.

If I could heal your mother of her mental illness, I
would.

If I could remove the clinical depression and bipolar
disorder that robbed most of your life from you, I
would.

(But most of all) If I could do it all over again and
give you the happiness and self-esteem that you’ve
never had, I would.

–Ngoc Nguyen