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Joe had a rough childhood.

He was the sixth out of eight children. They were not a wealthy family.

His dad worked 3 jobs to support them, his wife helping him.

Joe's dad was a hard man. Like Joe, he had a rough life, if not worse. It resulted in stiffness, difficulties in expressing feelings. They weren't the mushy mushy love type. No time for that.

Love is discipline. Love is education. Love is instilling the correct moral values, by whatever means. Love is making sure you grow to be a better man, to live a better life. If love needs to be harsh, so be it. If beatings are needed, so be it. Even if you don't feel so at the moment, believe me, I'm doing this for your good. You'll thank me in the far future.

This is love.

If Joe did anything wrong, the punishments would be severe. Dad would tie his hands and feet, and uses a broom to beat him up. Probably a cane at other times, for variation. With his limbs tied up, the best that Joe could do was roll around, which doesn't help much when your dad is one angry healthy man.

How could little Joe understand that that was love? It instilled fear in Joe. His relationship with his father wasn't warm. It was fear based. It's not that he hates his father. The whole family knows that each of them love each other. It was just that it was never publicly expressed. That was childhood as Joe knew it.

Joe's parents made enough money for him to go to school, and little Joe didn't take that for granted. He walked 6 km to school everyday and another 6 going home, which makes it some 12 km on foot. There was this one night that Joe stayed up pretty late with his siblings, playing a few rounds of this new card game that his eldest brother, Ronnie, brought from town. He woke up a little late the next morning and stole a neighbor's bike to get him to school. He paid the price later that day. A few rounds of beatings.

A rough childhood made Joe a tough man, a man that can't be taken down easily. A man that takes chances, even spontaneous in a way. He didn't bow down to his situation of lack. He had the drive to make changes to his life.

At 16, Joe had worked several jobs. He delivered papers. He worked in a gas station. He was a plumber. He's worked in a mining company. He's worked all over the place.

The turning point of his life happened when he worked in this company that was willing to pay his college fees. Maybe they saw potential in him, or that hardworking attitude of his, or that drive oozing out of him. Either way, off he went to Canada, earned his diploma, came back and worked for the company for a few years.

Now with a diploma in hand, he was able to work some better paying jobs. He changed jobs a few times, until finally, at 24, he went overseas to try his luck. He left with high hopes of earning a better income, or heaven knows, probably even start his own business!

It wasn't easy, but after some long years of hard work, eventually he made it. Now he owns his own mining company. It wasn't huge, but good enough to make him live an adequate life.

When he married Carah, he was able to support both of them with no major issues. He was even able to support his mom too. His hard work paid off. Money was no longer as big a problem as it was.


***

Alex, three weeks old now, is in his arms.

For that brief moment, life felt complete. Joe promised himself that he would never let Alex have the childhood he had. He's got money now. Alex will live a better life. That was enough reason for him to die in peace, though not just yet.

Alex opened her sleepy eyes and looked at him as if she knew that Joe was currently experiencing this burst of emotions. Joe smiled at her. He loves this baby more than anyone he has ever known, probably including Carah. He would give up anything for Alex. He loves her. Period.

But the form of love he had always known was discipline. Love was education. Love was punishment.

If love needed to be harsh, if beatings were needed.. So be it.
That was love.

Alex closed her eyes, drooled, and went back to dreamland shortly.