I received an email from the Shepkid's mom yesterday that Fritz will be ready for pick up after work, but Hazel isn’t coming to Riverside until lunchtime on Saturday.
This has been happening more and more lately and it makes me feel sad.
So, I climbed into Betty the Green Blazer and headed west of Mannheim to pick up Fritz only.
I was stuck at the light at Willow Springs road heading west on Plainfield Road. I was about five cars back from the stop light with Amy Winehouse singing on WXRT.
I faintly hear “Dad! Dad! Dad? Dad? Daaaaaaad!”
That sounds like Hazel’s soft, but sometimes harsh little voice. I turn down Betty’s radio and hear it again. Standing in a front yard on Plainfield road is my daughter and a handful of her friends.
On Hazel’s face is a big smile. A smile wider than my rear end and with a little duckling wave I get a “Hi Dad!”
“You okay daughter? You having fun?”
Through that big smile of hers she says, “I’m having fun dad!.!.!”
My sadness went away in a flash of joy seeing my Hazel smiling and having fun.
The light turned green and the cars started to slowly move….
In my booming Chicago Board of Trade open outcry voice…. “HAZEL!”
Sheepishly replying, “yeah dad…..”
“I LOVE YOU HAZEL!”
Off she ran behind a big bush as all her friends stared with big smiles at the old guy sitting in his green blazer driving into the late afternoon sun. As I drove away I can still hear the group giggling as I imagined my daughter looking back at her friends…
“Oh my God! Is my dad gone? He is so embarrassing!”
Yes, embarrassment was my initial intention, but so was the seed that I planted.
I love my daughter, her sixth grade friends now know Hazel’s dad loves her and someday when I being waked…
… those little girls will walk up to Hazel and remind her when they saw Mr. Shepley in Betty the Green Blazer back in sixth grade. They’ll recall how their friend was embarrassed when her dad shouted that he loved her. Hazel’s grief will ease as she remembers how much her daddy loves her.
I drove off in my twenty-seven year old vehicle feeling wealthy. I was given the gift of seeing a happy daughter. Hell yes it’s more fun at eleven to be with friends rather than stinky old dad. I’m good with that because I just want my daughter to be happy.
Today is National Farmer’s Day. The American Farmer is literally the salt of the earth. Baseball and corn crops are the two consistent things that we can lean on every summer.
Thank you for the hard work!
A stranger lately to the Morning Chalkboard appears today, raindrops.
I am always astonished by an autumn rainstorm
