If You Were My Age, Would You Be My Friend?
Friendship & Connection
Panel 1: The Question
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Living room, evening. Dad and daughter (age 10) sitting on the couch.
DAUGHTER: Dad, if you were my age... would you be my friend?
DAD: (laughs) That's a big question, kiddo. Let me think about that...
Dad glances at a family photo on the wall, his smile fading for just a moment.
Panel 2: Dad's Childhood Memory
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Flashback: 1985, schoolyard. Young dad (age 10) sitting alone at lunch.
DAD (V.O.): When I was your age, I was... different. Quiet. Always had my nose in a book.
DAD (V.O.): I wasn't the cool kid. I was the one who knew all the dinosaur names.
DAUGHTER: (giggles) You? A nerd? No way!
DAD: The nerdiest! I once corrected my teacher about pterodactyls for 20 minutes.
Panel 3: The Dinosaur Incident
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Flashback continues: Young dad enthusiastically explaining to annoyed classmates.
YOUNG DAD: Actually, pterodactyls aren't dinosaurs! They're flying reptiles!
CLASSMATE: Nobody cares, dweeb.
DAD (V.O.): Yeah... I didn't have many friends.
DAUGHTER: (sympathetically) That's sad, Dad.
DAD: Nah, it taught me something important. Want to know what?
Panel 4: Grandpa's Wisdom
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Flashback: Young dad crying in his room. Grandpa enters.
GRANDPA: Tough day, sport?
YOUNG DAD: Nobody wants to be my friend. I'm too weird.
GRANDPA: You know what I learned? The best friends aren't the ones who like you when you're cool.
GRANDPA: They're the ones who think you're cool when everyone else thinks you're weird.
DAD (V.O.): Your grandpa was a wise man.
Grandpa's hand rests gently on young dad's shoulder. 'Cherish every moment with the people who matter,' he says softly.
Panel 5: The Friend Who Stayed
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Flashback: School library. Young dad reading, another kid approaches.
TOMMY: Hey... are you reading about velociraptors?
YOUNG DAD: (suspicious) ...yeah?
TOMMY: That's so cool! Did you know they were actually the size of turkeys?
YOUNG DAD: (eyes light up) YES! Finally someone who gets it!
DAD (V.O.): That was Tommy. Still my best friend today.
Panel 6: Tommy's Story
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Present day. Dad on phone with Tommy, daughter listening.
DAD: Hey Tommy, my daughter asked if I'd be her friend if I were her age.
TOMMY (phone): Ha! You'd probably bore her with dinosaur facts!
DAD: I was NOT that bad!
TOMMY: Dude, you once spent recess explaining the Cretaceous period to a rock.
DAUGHTER: (laughing) A ROCK?!
DAD: It was a very good listener!
Panel 7: What Makes a Friend
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Back to living room. Dad turns to daughter seriously.
DAD: You know what, sweetie? I think we would be friends.
DAUGHTER: Really? Even though you were a nerd?
DAD: ESPECIALLY because I was a nerd. You know why?
DAD: Because you're the kind of kid who asks big questions. Who thinks deeply.
DAD: That's exactly the kind of friend young-me needed.
Panel 8: Mom's Perspective
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Mom walks in with snacks, overhearing the conversation.
MOM: Oh, are we talking about dad's awkward phase?
DAD: I wasn't awkward!
MOM: Honey, you wore a cape to school. For a month.
DAUGHTER: (delighted) A CAPE?!
DAD: It was a very practical cape! Lots of pockets!
MOM: (to daughter) I would've been your dad's friend. Someone had to save him from himself.
Panel 9: The Real Answer
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Dad pulls daughter close for a hug.
DAD: But here's the thing, kiddo. I don't just think we'd be friends...
DAD: I KNOW we would be. Because you're curious, kind, and you laugh at my terrible jokes.
DAUGHTER: Your jokes ARE terrible.
DAD: See? Honest too. That's what friends are.
DAD: Friends are people who see the real you and stick around anyway.
Dad holds her a little tighter than usual, as if trying to freeze this moment in time.
Panel 10: The Pact
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Daughter holds out her pinky finger.
DAUGHTER: Pinky promise we'll always be friends?
DAD: (linking pinkies) Always. No matter what.
DAUGHTER: Even when I'm a teenager and think you're embarrassing?
DAD: ESPECIALLY then. I'll embarrass you so much you'll have to be my friend just to keep me in line.
DAUGHTER: (giggles) Deal!
Through the window, the sun sets earlier than expected. Dad notices but says nothing.
Panel 11: The Lesson
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Daughter getting ready for bed, dad tucking her in.
DAUGHTER: Dad? Thanks for answering my question.
DAD: Thanks for asking it. You make me think about things I forgot.
DAUGHTER: Like what?
DAD: Like how lucky I am. That I get to be your dad AND your friend.
DAUGHTER: I'm lucky too.
Panel 12: The Truth
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Dad walking out of daughter's room, pausing at the door.
DAD (thinking): Would I be her friend?
DAD (thinking): I'd be honored to be her friend.
DAD (thinking): She's the best person I know.
Dad whispers to himself: 'Every day is a gift.' He doesn't know why he said it, but it feels important.