Month: June 2017

My dad never

My dad never taught me how to fish but he showed me that grown men do cry. My dad couldn’t instruct me on how to drive but he drove me to the driving school. My father didn’t teach me English but I learned from him that words on paper can be powerful. My father didn’t have a lot of time for me after work but I saw in him the ability to will himself into performing one more shift. My old man was too tired for basketball but he made enough so I’d have shoes and a ball. 
There are so many things Silvio didn’t, couldn’t, was unable to do when it came to me and I resented some of those at the time. Now near 40 and with kids of my own I’ve come to see the flip side of those things.

The Quiet One

A young family sat at a nearby booth at the restaurant in Pasadena where they sell brews by the Yard. 
One of the adults was highly animated and spoke with a booming voice and waved his hands wildly to make the point. The kids were rambunctious as kids can be but their sounds blended well with the cacophony composed by clanking silverware, the yell of the crowd cheering or booing the soccer match on TV, or the roaring laughter of a ladies group nearby. The family’s matriarch was a bit demure but it was clear the beers she’d previously enjoyed were now taking effect and she was now getting in on the fun. 
Then I spotted their most quiet of friend sitting calmly next to the dad. He, in his little vest, was an island of silent composure in the chaos. He just sat there and looked around. Not paying attention to the food, or the dropped silverware that even startled me. His equanimity infected me and I could not help but stare at him and his Mona Lisa smile. His pink socks gave me an internal chuckle as they contrasted cheerily against his deep black complexion. When the family got up to go my trance finally broke and that’s when my daughter noticed him. She too noticed his vest and asked me why he couldn’t be petted. I told her that this fury friend was on the job and helping the man who held his tether. 
Then they walked off and for a moment his eyes and I connected but then he got back in line. I think I spotted pride and I salute him for it.  

Class of 2017

It’s been going on for at least a couple of weeks. 
Special days that once seemed so far off finally come to pass. For so many of you, I’ve cherished seeing the great many photos of the graduating class of 2017. From elementary school to college there are so many smiling talented young people who have reached a goal line. Along with them is a throng of proud parents and caregivers who with tears in their eyes got to witness the manifestation of so much hard work and sacrifice. If the group of people in the caps and gowns are the future then I am hopeful of what things may come. 
Congrats to all the 2017 grads!

Wonder Daughter

My date arrived at about 7 minutes before 11. Twenty minutes or so later the action started on the screen and the princess she had been waiting to see emerged into the picture. For the next couple of hours I saw her mouth wide open as the heroine made tough choices. She giggled at how naive she was as a young woman in the world. She fidgeted in her seat when it seemed that there might be a kiss on the screen. She tugged at my watch when the going got tough for Diana and it wasn’t certain that she’d win the day. 
When it was all done and over and we were making our way out of our Krikorian she proudly looked at me in the eye and told me that “I want to be her.” I smiled and told her that in so many ways, she already is.