It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah (Patreon)

Happy Mother’s Day, all! I aimed for something sweet and landed on depressing, whoops

So this is Savannah’s dear departed father, Tim Harrington.

A sweet, compassionate, somewhat timid man, Tim was a florist by trade with a deep love and encyclopedia-level knowledge of flowers. Tim had a prominent stutter and was quite soft-spoken, which often led to him getting roped into extra duties at the flower shop (unpaid, of course), or, more notably, yanked into a relationship with a bold and ferocious she-hyena, who practically pounced on the nervous-looking fellow arranging her azalea bouquet. Tim spent the next few years of his life politely trying to appease his girlfriend and be the confident manly-man she demanded, but he never seemed to succeed. At some point she gets pregnant, and while Tim is quietly figuring out that he’s very much gay, his girlfriend is figuring out she very much doesn’t want to be a parent. Least of all with Tim.

And so, Tim is unceremoniously dumped. At least he gets a consolation prize- a child that he never really wanted in the first place and most definitely cannot afford. Tim could, if he so chose, drop the baby off at a safe surrender site for unwanted newborns, forever washing his hands of this mess. It’d be like the past few years never happened. If only he could finally have the courage to take control of his own life. If only, if only….

Tim loved Savannah so, so much. Even though he was never able to provide her with everything, he was pretty creative in a pinch, often sewing her clothes and even making toys for her. He tried to be the best parent he could be for her, even when her more challenging behavioral issues began to emerge (defiance, anger issues, stubbornness- all things that reminded him of his ex). Though Savannah did have her bratty streak, she did ultimately adore her dad. His death left a hole in her heart that has never quite healed, and to this day she still  struggles to talk about him without breaking down.