Me 'n' My Daddy

A long, long time ago when I was...oh, gosh...6 or 7 yrs old I always had such a hard time falling asleep. Especially after the first time I discovered that after all the kids were "asleep" my parents would stay up and watch M*A*S*H, but not only that! They would also go to Parker's (small food joint here in town) and get shakes!

I discovered this all by accident, I was innocently laying there in bed waiting for sleep to come, trying to be a good kid and not get yelled at to get in bed and go to sleep...again, when I heard the front door close and heard the car leave.

I didn't think both my parents would just leave us all alone so I lay there thinking and pondering why one of them would leave, but that soon lead somehow to being sure they had both left and were never to return. Maybe that day we had all really pushed our limits or something...I don't know. Soon I had to venture downstairs to see if we were indeed left all alone.

As I crept down the stairs I could hear the T.V. and could see light shining from the front room. I knew one of them was there. After all, they wouldn't leave the T.V. and the lights in the room on wasting all that electricity! So I went to the bathroom...yeah right, like I needed to. It was the only way I could come out into the open to see who was still there without getting into trouble for not being in bed.

It was my dad. Since I have four brothers I didn't get too much one-on-one time with dad (who obviously would bond more easily with my bros, especially since he had only one sister and half a dozen or so brothers).

After potty break I went into the front room rubbing my eyes to make it obvious that I had just woke up. He asked what I was doing up I told him had to go to the bathroom, then promptly asked where mom went. He asked how I knew she left and what did it matter to me? I don't know how else it went but somehow I got out of him she went to get shakes at Parker's and I ended up on his lap waiting for mom to get back with "their" shakes, sure was a good midnight snack...hehe.

I liked the coolness of being able to eat shakes with my mom and dad just me 'n' them but the thing I liked the very best was being able to sit on my dad's lap leaning back against him to rest my head on his shoulder and watching T.V. with him. Just him and me... I don't recall how many times I got away with this but it seems it was a good handful of times anyway. I don't know if he even remembers it but I do, and always will.

When I think about my dad this is the memory that enters my head every time. I will cherish watching M*A*S*H with him forever. I love my daddy and am so glad he is my daddy!