The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and jostled the
table, spilling his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing. I am getting so
clumsy in my old age." Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling
stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat
quietly listening to the others. Someone said, "Come on, Frank. Tell us your
most embarrassing moment."
Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. "I grew up in San Pedro. My
Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard
making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught
enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom
and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."
He looked at us and said, "I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man,
and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch.
When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old
canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled
down over his brow. No matter how much my Mother washed them, they would still
smell of the sea and of fish."
Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would drive me to
school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck
was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear
it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down
into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would slam to a stop and
the old truck would belch a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and
it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would
lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It
was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean
over and kiss me goodbye!"
He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I decided I was too old for a
goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big
smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, 'No, Dad.'
It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this
surprised look on his face. I said, "Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm
too old for any kind of kiss." My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his
eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him cry. He turned and looked out the
windshield. 'You're right,' he said. 'You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss
you anymore.'"
Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes,
as he spoke. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came
back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big
family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out.
He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats."
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks.
Frank spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give
me just one more kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face....to smell the
ocean on him....to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If
I had been a man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye
kiss." I don't know about the rest of the guys, but at that moment, I wanted
more than anything to put my arms around my Dad and let him know just how
special he was to me. It is so easy to forget to tell people how important they
are to us, especially our parents.
If you are lucky enough to still have your dad around, then go and see him. Tell
him how much you love and appreciate him. And if you can, put your arms around
him, give him kiss on the cheek, and let him know that he is the most important
man in your life
Don't ever miss an opportunity to tell someone you love - that you love them.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Daren Bullock
daren@youthpages.org
YouthPAGES http://www.youthpages.org
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