My dad didn’t believe in practical jokes. He did not believe in sarcasm but he had the
humor to initiate a bit of sarcasm if you left yourself wide open. He enjoyed those
teaching moments.
My father would never verbally admit how proud he was of all his children and
grandchildren, but we all knew he was.
Sometimes, I would catch a glimpse of him smiling for no apparent reason when most
of us would get together as a family on holidays and such as siblings with our kids.My father was not much for material, shiny objects and such. He wore a simple watch,
no other jewelry. Although I will admit, he had a deep passion for nice shiney cars and
powerful guns.
I'm sure he did, but I don't recall him ever using my given name to beckon me. He
would tell my mother, she would relay his message or he would appear out of
nowhere, refer to me as 'boy' and tell me what he wanted. I was a good kid. He never
called me in anger.
I'm not sure if not calling me by name represents anything at all...maybe my name
would slip his mind...I've had similar memory issues with my 3 children., especially with
my granddaughter and her mother.
I know absolutely nothing of my daddy’s adolescence. Not one story he ever told,
about his mother, father, sisters or brothers. It was as if he was born a 19-year-old man
who would marry a beautiful young lady in 1935, who would later give birth to
number #8 some 19 years later.
I would love to hear just one story of that young period of his life, especially the
meeting of my mother.
I’m positive his tough adolescence shaped his life, as my structured adolescence
shaped mine. I’ll never know for sure, but I would be willing to bet on it.