Just Another Day - Part One

Turns out that July 14th was just another day.

Woke up and took the Chicken to pre-school.

Went into work a little later than normal. I had agreed to facilitate a team building meeting a while back and couldn't get out of it.

But I only stayed for that.

I don't want to be here today.

I don't want to be anywhere today.

The Commander and I are in the process of packing and there is no escape from it because her sister, the Nerdle, is in town orchestrating the packing process.

Intermingled with my belongings, I find my dad's belongings that I've brought over here.

His glasses that have been watching over the Chicken for the past year.

A couple of his autographed books.

The Hawaiian shirt that he wore the day before he died.

I packed all of this crap last July with the Nerdle and here it is a year later and I'm packing it all up again.

I take a break with the Commander and she asks me if I've called Number 2.

I feel like a dick because I hadn't.

It's been a year for him too.

I give him a call but before I share that conversation, I need to give a little context.

I need to tell you about the first time the Commander met my Dad.

It was the end of summer in 1993 and the Commander was coming over to my house for one of our very first dates.

My dad had been in the backyard all day doing what he did most of the time back there.

Sunbathing and reading Penthouse (I'm sure it was for the articles).

Before she came over, I went out in the backyard to talk to him.

No...to threaten him.

"There's a girl coming over that I really like. Do NOT do anything to embarrass me!"

I was nervous waiting for the Commander. She was (and is) something special and I really didn't need my dad to do anything to blow it for me.

When the Commander finally got there, it only took a few moments before my dad made me want to die of embarrassment.

She and I were talking when I heard the back door slam shut.

He came walking into the kitchen wearing nothing but this cheesy terry cloth wrap around his waist.

He pretended to be surprised that someone was here with me.

"WELL, HELLO! WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY?"

I don't remember much else of the conversation. I was too mortified.

He was killing me with embarrassment. Couldn't he have at least put a shirt on?

Anyways, back to Number 2.

When I got him on the phone, I asked him if he wanted to come over to our place.

He didn't.

I asked him what he had been up to and he gave me the lowdown on his day.

"Well, first I took Dad's golf clubs and played a round. Then I got home and took an ice cold shower because it was so hot. Then I realized that I didn't want to get dressed right away so I thought maybe I'd wear one of Dad's terry cloth wraps if one was here."

"You didn't, did you?" I asked.

"Found two of them in my closet and I'm sitting here right now wearing one," Number 2 said proudly.

That got me laughing so hard, I thought I was going to pass out.

I'm glad that a new memory was created and old one can now be remembered in a different way.

I thought it was going to be the last time that night that I'd think about my dad.

But when I finally went to sleep, I found out that this wouldn't be the case.

My dad found his way back to me that night.

He showed up as the featured player in one of my dreams.

VW