A Father's Rambling

“Honey come here and feel this.”

“He’s active today. I wonder what he’s thinking, maybe he’s dreaming. I look forward to teaching him all about the facts of life.

“Listen to me kid, growing up is fun. You’ll have your whole life ahead of you. Learning to walk, to talk, to hit a baseball or to catch a football. I can teach you how to drive, to shave, and how to treat a woman. I can show you the best things in life are free. Sitting in a car with your girlfriend at inspiration...uhm. Well maybe later, when you are old enough.

“Son, the best things in life really are free, like the sunset over there. Can’t you just see how the sun turns those puffy clouds different colors? Look at the reds, the oranges, and that touch of purple. The trees will be a pretty green in the morning; right now they are almost black. When the golden orb of the sun finally goes to sleep then the bluish white of the moon will appear along with tiny spots of white light, those, my boy, are stars. Your mom and I spent many nights watching those little lights appear from the backseat of your grandfather’s car.

“You can’t put a price tag on hearing a dog bark, a cat meow, or the chirping of the birds in the spring. After a long winter nothing sounds better than a lawnmower cutting the grass.

“Ahh grass, it is green, green as your mother’s eyes. You’re going to love your mom’s eyes. They sparkle like gemstones and they soothe all of your pain away. Your mother is very beautiful. She’s the first angel you’ll see when you open your eyes and the last when you go to sleep. She’s loving, caring, besides being special. You’ll grow up respecting her and not because she brought you into this world, but because you’ll be raised right.

“Son, I hope you are still listening to me, I’ve only just started to tell you about life. Some of the best things your little hands will touch...the first time you feel your mother’s hair; her soft, delicate spun gold hair. These strands are going to be wonderment to you when the light of the sun shines through it.

“Another great feeling, and I still enjoy this as well, is when your mommy will kiss you with her rose petal lips. The first time you get a boo boo and she kisses it to make it feel better, You’re going to love that. And are you going to love your first sloppy kiss from a girl. Don’t listen to your friends, girls don’t have cooties.

“That kiss may feel weird at first but I tell you that is one of the best tastes around, flavored lipstick. I love strawberry but banana’s not bad either.

“Speaking of tastes, banana splits with the vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, nuts, pineapple, strawberries and chocolate syrup. Any kid of mine is going to love those. They taste even better if you share them.

“Now, then there is cotton candy, its like eating a flavored cloud. It sticks to your fingers and you’ll have to lick it off. I think you’ll like that stuff. Then you have your county fair variety fried dough. It is bread dough deep-fried sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon, those will tantalize your taste buds.

“Try to remember this, my boy, girls like your mother love flowers. They come in many different colors and shape. Some days we’ll go to the store and buy your mother her favorite kind, yellow roses. They look so beautiful with the way the petals are spreading outward from the center. The yellow roses look like the sun on a summer day. You have to be careful of the thorns on the stems; they can prick your finger and leave you bleeding. Women are sort of like that too except women don’t have thorns}.

“Yep, son, if you listen to your mother and me you’ll be all right. I’ll tell you now that even if we do have our arguments or I make you do something you don’t want to, I will always love you. I can assure you, there will be times when you won’t want to hear what I have to say. Every relationship has it; even father-sons have their moments.

“I look forward to watching you grow everyday...”

“Honey, uhm our daughter isn’t due for another two month’s. All I wanted you to do was feel our little Olympic Ice Skater doing her first triple axle.”