I've been a very self-contained person from an early age. When I was two years old, my parents separated, and my father moved out. If you don't have much experience with young children, you're probably thinking that it was good that he left when I was so young. If you, however, have children or have spent a lot of time with them, you know that even at that age, they feel the absence of a parent keenly.

Two weeks later my father came back to pick some things up and (unwisely) stayed the night....