My father's shadow became my foundation

My dad was brilliant and broken. Everyone in our small town knew about his drinking. Teachers treated me differently. Parents hesitated before letting their kids come to our house. I grew up carrying a secondhand shame I didn't earn.

But here's what the stigma couldn't touch: my father taught me to build things. While the world wrote him off, he was in the garage showing me how to wire a circuit, fix an engine, frame a wall. His hands were steady when he was working. Building was his only peace.