Young daughters provide motivation for dad
Seeing his young daughters smile makes Patrick Burgess’ long days worthwhile.
“When I got out of the Army Reserve, my ex-wife and I were in the process of getting a divorce. At first, we had shared custody of our two kids. Then she started doing drugs, so I got my kids fulltime.
“They are the reason I do what I do. I work at the Walmart Distribution Center in New Caney, and I’m going to college to become an instrumentation tech. I have to be at work at 3 o’clock today, and I’ll be there until 2 or 3 in the morning. Then I leave the house at 6 a.m. to get to school by 7:45. I run on 5-Hour Energy all week.
“If it was just me, honestly, I don’t even know what I’d be doing right now. It’s because of my kids that I’m here.
“I know people have had worse childhoods. It’s not like we grew up under a bridge, but we never got anything new. We always got giveaway clothes from the church. And my dad, I remember he went to only two baseball games and one football game the whole time I was playing sports. My three brothers and I never got much direction. We never got any real guidance in life. I don’t want my kids to go through that. I want to have the money and the time for them.
“It’s been a test sometimes. But seeing my two little girls smile, that’s the best part. That’s what motivates me. I hate when they’re sad. That’s tougher than all of this. They’re so emotional. There’s so much estrogen around. Maybe I need to get a boy dog or something.”
— Patrick Burgess, 26
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