It's time for another one. Yep, it is dad's birthday and he is working from 5:30 am to 7 pm non stop 7 days a week. So, his partner (Dot) and BFF decided to give him a shock and throw a surprise party last night. Knowing dad, I knew that this was trouble and tried to talk Dot out of it.
Dot: going to throw a surprise party for you know who....
BPM: Not a good idea. You know he hates parties and being the center of attention.
Dot: Give me two dates....
BPM: Not a good idea....I am sure that I will pay for it since he will feel that it was my idea.
Dot: Give me two dates....
BPM: OK.
And so, last night, at 7pm, I got dad to Dot's house under the pretense that it was an engagement party for Dot's son. As soon as we got to the house, dad was suspicious since he did not see the son's car. Really? Is he Columbo? Monk? CSI?
And yes, it was a surprise.
And yes, he was gracious......
And yes, Dot and the staff were all there to celebrate his life and make a little fun of him.
All in all, he was honored and humbled to have been thrown a party. By the way, they had two cakes...one for dad and one for me....it was strawberry and absolutely delicious. it topped off the cake that I had earlier when I finished my own cake. This is why I hate February.....'cause I LOVE cake....just sayin'
Back to dad.....
I have to give him some props. I never write about him because he always seems like the man behind the curtain like in the Wizard of Oz. As we had dinner one night out, a friend of mine stopped at the table and remarked: "So, you do exist." She has been a friend for 15 years and never met him....
Does he hide? Well, sort of....
You see....he is an introvert living an extrovert's existence. His job requires him to interact with people constantly and by the end of the day he is emotionally and physically exhausted. I think this is why he goes to work so early each day...to work without interruption...it's just a theory.
Anyway, I met dad in college. He was an older guy (by a year) with the nicest eyes I ever saw. He was kind and funny and quiet and very thoughtful. He lived in a disgusting apartment with 3 other lunatics. Once I had a terrible cold. After school, we went back to his apartment for hot tea. First, he bought a clean mug at the store and tea bags. Then he brewed the tea in the only clean area of the kitchen and gave me flowers.
Back in college, he delivered pizzas. I would stay with Wildcat and we would order a pizza. He never charged us...although...one night, we ordered the pizza and another delivery guy dropped it off. We had to scramble for loose change...look under the bed, in our pockets and finally came up with almost the right amount of money. Did we tip him? Nope, he tipped us since we did not have enough money. No worries....he was a friend who landed up being in our wedding party. Nonetheless, he was not pleased that we stiffed him. Lesson learned....
As dad worked evenings delivering pizzas, he saved as much money as he could. Upon graduating, he found a low paying job at an accounting firm where he stayed for 4 years then went out on his own. Times were lean...really lean. But he plowed through them.
He sent me to school...twice....Yep, we paid for my tuition on a credit card. Yes, I know the interest rates are sky high, but we had no choice. We were in debt and had to climb out by keeping an eye on the nickels and dimes.
As time went on, the investment that we made in my education paid off and the leaner times were a memory reminding us of where we came from....which is to say...never take it for granted. Work hard....and keep moving forward.
Over the years, as the kids came along, I would stand outside watching them play in the neighborhood when the women would scream at their husbands if they did not get home by 5:30 pm. I would scratch my head and think...they want it all....the house...money...be stay at home moms.....and the husband home early. It does not happen this way. They never gave their husbands permission to thrive in their jobs as their demands were costly.
Me? I knew the game. I also knew that I married someone with an unparalleled work ethic who would stay at work until the job was done, especially since he owned his own business. The kids and I adapted. We had family and friends in the region and lots to do. They played sports, joined clubs, and had play dates and friends. We thrived while dad worked.
Did we miss him? Sure. But we knew that he had a goal and was working to take care of us. As a result, we have a nice life...comfortable house... cars that start....happy lifestyle....it's because of him. Are we part of the 1%? Nope....
He takes no credit but keeps his head down and plows through. He does things that no one knows and I keep a secret. But I can share one example. My elderly uncle had his power turned off after he was a victim of a scam. He was penniless, in debt, and without power and heat. He is a proud man and no one knew about his circumstances for a few months. Dad was the guy who paid the electric bill and forwarded cash for him to sell the house, find an apartment, and move thereby enjoying a little nest egg to live on.
Dad said nothing but "I have to do what is right."
There you have it. There is a code of ethics that he abides by and shares by example to his children. I am humbled by his hard work and generosity and hope that the kids got the message.
OK, enough...time to go to boot camp to work off the accumulating cake weight.....
Happy Birthday dad...
Peace!
PS: BP Grandmom makes a sponge cake with whipped cream and pudding that I share with no one.
No comments:
Post a Comment