Dear old dad

Since Father's Day is right around the corner I thought I would share some of my favorite childhood memories of life growing up with a dad like mine.

First of all, I think my dad has a pretty good sense of humor although I don't really share in his love for the whole pull my finger or did you see that mouse on the motorcycle bits like the grand kids do. No, I think he passed that trait on to my older sister. It's just not Thanksgiving until she passes gas at the table.

However, looking back there are a couple of times I can remember when he really outdid himself at my expense.

Like the time I was in the eighth grade and desperately wanted a pair of Reebok Pumps, you know with the little ball on the side that you could press and it would pump air into the chamber of your shoe so you could, well, look cool. They were white with pink and purple and all of my friends wanted them so I was over the moon when he took me to get a pair. I do remember that they were pretty expensive at the time, but since I was the youngest I usually got what I wanted because all of my siblings had made the mistake of being born first which meant they had to share and stuff, but they had all grown up, scattered and moved away, and left me alone to reap the benefits.

So we went to get the shoes and I gleaming when we got to the register to pay and I was thinking that I had the BEST DAD EVER and couldn't wait to get home to call my friends. Then as he was paid the cashier my dad looked over at me and said very seriously, well we might not have power next month but at least you will have these shoes. Thank goodness I already bought groceries so at least we can eat. I hope you are happy now because that is all that really matters.

I could feel the disgusted eyes of the cashier glaring at me as my dad chuckled under his breath and slipped his wallet back into his pocket.

Thanks, Dad.
Then there was the time when I was in high school and he took me to the mall to buy school clothes dressed in a T-shirt that said I fought the lawn on the front and the lawn won on the back, a pair of plaid shorts and my personal favorite, his black military socks with SANDALS. Not to mention he hardly ever wore shorts so he had very tan arms, and pale, lily-white legs. I tried to convince him to just wait in the middle of the mall for me, but oh no, he had to come into the junior section of every store and insisted on making small talk with all of the sales people as I tried on clothes.

Good times, good times.
How could I ever forget the summer before my senior year when he took me to get a cell phone. The very young and attractive sales girl was filling out the application and when she got to the sex question, instead of just checking M for male she made the big mistake of saying sex? to which my old dad answered, quite frequenty, how about yourself?

Oh. My. God.

I could have died right then and there.

So thanks, Dad, for all the fun and good times. I won't forget this when you are much older and helpless and need me. I will be there for you, just like you always were for me. Happy Father's Day!