COOL DADDY-O

There he was, that tall, strong, handsome guy in his uniform tee, tossing the ball to the player covering second base. It was an evening game, a hot, still summer evening's game. The field lights blazed with artificial daylight, while moths danced and fluttered in the shocking brightness of their glow. 'Brand X' was only just warming up.

We sat in the stands, cheering the team on through the game. The ice-cream truck on the edge of the park beckoned, and I knew it would be at least a couple of innings before our presence at Dad's game would be rewarded with the frosty treat of our choice - for me, a double soft serve with rainbow sprinkles. The anticipation of this moment was the only thing that got me through.

I had no idea what position my dad played for his team, but I know it didn't last many seasons - if only one. I didn't know how many runs he might have scored, how many times he struck out, if he stole a base, if he tagged a man out. All I knew is that as soon as the game ended, he was ours again. Uniform, wallet, and all.

The position he played on our family team, though, consisting of a wife, three sons, two daughters, a couple of dogs, a revolving door of cats, an occasional salamander, a gecko, a run of the mill hamster or gerbil (these pets not all at once though), was the ever-present, unflinching, unconditionally devoted father who I want to thank for the following, not limited to and not necessarily in order of appearance:

1. Salami and eggs
2. Papering my bedroom wall with the green ferns over the silver background
3. Drawing a portrait of Farrah Fawcett with me till after midnight, on the dry-erase board next to the olive green rotary telephone. It was uncanny.
4. Saving my life in a Quebec hotel/campground parking lot
5. Driving me to everyone's houses for sleepovers, all the time
6. Taking me to Klein's just before closing hour for the best maxi-dress EVER
7. Taking us to Friendly's at midnight for ice-cream sundaes while the Mets were in overtime (13 innings?)
8. Camping in Montauk
9. Music
10.Corny jokes
11.The candy in his suit jacket pocket (yes, that's where it all went.)
12.The change in his pocket, too.
13.The way he laughs through his teeth, like the dog from Dastardly and Muttley
14.Being the coolest, most proficient handyman, who drilled, hammered, spackled and kept our world patched together with love, kindness and patience, often with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.
15. Quitting smoking

Always the athlete, always the artist, always the beautiful soul, always The Man.

It must be Father's Day.