Remembering My Daddy

I miss my dad.

I like to remember the little things about him...that made him who he was.

He was a hard worker. Even after he retired from Corning Glass, he worked as a custodian at the high school to keep busy.

He was good at fixing cars and he always gave our old Malibu a tune up before we'd go on vacation. The level of difficulty in the job always coincided with how many "sonfabitchinbastards" that came out of his mouth.

He loved to eat out, especially Mexican and Chinese food. I took him to Rock Bottom and he had pot pie, and I thought he was going to lick the plate. We always ate out on Sundays. When mom couldn't go with us any longer, I always took him, even if he had to lug around his oxygen tank to go to La Fiesta.

He was fond of a good beer. (Especially at Rock Bottom)

Dessert was his favorite part of any meal. He loved his sweets. Even in his last months...he wanted cookies and candy more than any other food.

He was stubborn. (With a touch of dementia from his blood and lung disorders he could be frustrating with this trait and it often caused us to scream at him, but never to stop loving him)

He was a great dishwasher. No one else could clean up like him.

He liked to break our Coke glasses. (He was good at breaking things that the rest of us liked, especially if he was doing something he didn't want to do)

He was generous. When I wanted to get my first CD player, he left quarters on the floor of my room to help me with my savings.

He was a savior. I can't begin to count the times he had to come and rescue either my sister or me where stuck somewhere with a broken down car or stuck in the snow.

He was a wonderful man, and not a day goes by that I don't miss me.