John

I've written about my Dad before but there are a few more things I'd like to say,
He's a generous man
He cares about his employees and their kids
Although cantankerous he is kind
When Mom wanted him to kill a rat in the garage he just couldn't do it
He never raised a hand against me or my Mom or my sister
He is strong
He taught me, "We all got off the boat with Noah." when talking about races and color of skin
He put me to work, young though
Flipping parts in the garage
Paint fumes and turpentine
I was like 8
But he paid me
He's funny
He's a bit of a loner
Guess I picked that up too
He was burned in a fire when a small child
He saw his deceased grandma at the foot of his bed
They thought he might die
His leg is scarred
They said he might never walk again
He played football and baseball
The closest we ever got into a fight was Christmas Eve over the National Endowment for the Arts
Yet this man has supported my career my whole life
He really likes onions
He told me a story once that was so evocative
He was the youngest of five and because of that fire my great grandad Calvin said "we're taking John out west"
Calvin and Marie (great Aunt)
They didn't tell him though
They just got on a train
He saw his family on the platform as the train pulled away
He didn't understand
Then he did
My Dad wept as he told me this story
I can't even
So he's a bit distant at times
So am I
I love him so much
He's a good
good Dad