Thursday, April 14, 2011

Happy Birthday Daddy

Fifty six years ago today my dad was working in Ft. Myers, FL which was across the state from where we lived in West Palm Beach, FL.  It was his birthday and I was due to be born.  He just knew that I was going to be born today....so he stayed home and waited all day.  My mom did not have the first twinge of labor pains.  Disappointed he got up the next morning and drove to Ft. Myers to work.  He left home at 3:30.  At 10:00 in the morning my mom went into active labor and had to call a cab to take her to the hospital.  The poor cabbie was very distraught to have my very pregnant mom in his vehicle, but she assured him she was going to visit a friend.  She asked to be let off at the emergency room and explained that the stairs of the hospital were a bit much.  He did as she asked and a few hours later I was born.  My dad had gotten to Ft. Myers and was turned around by his boss and sent back to West Palm Beach.  He did not arrive until after I was born.    Since that day we have celebrated our birthdays together.  One year we celebrated on his and the next on mine. April 14th we buried my mom.  My dad got the greatest birthday present of all.   I can see them both now exploring all the back roads of heaven.  Now for the funny part.  When we went to the funeral home on Tuesday to take my mom's dress and stuff I realized that I did not have any underwear  or nail polish for her.  I called my friend Mary and asked her to go to Walmart and buy some.  We stopped very briefly at her house and I gave her some money to take care of this.  (BTW...I have wonderful friends and family).  Frank and Kat added a bit of brevity here and told Mary to get red thongs for my mom. We all laughed....I knew Mary would not do that.....didn't I?  We went directly to the funeral home.  A short while after arriving the receptionist came in with a bottle of nail polish and asked if it was the right shade.  We all agreed and she took it away.  What I didn't know was that my friend Mary wanted the girl to hand me the WHOLE Walmart bag....because...inside the bag....nestled down with the granny panties...was a red thong.  Mary thought I needed a laugh....only...I didn't see them.....so now the quandry arises.....was my mom buried in a red thong?  Does the funeral home think I am a weird-o?  I am not going to ask....I am going to practice the "don't ask....don't tell" method here.  If she was then my dad is probably getting a big kick out of this.  It will just have to go down as one of life's little mysteries!  Happy Birthday Daddy!

No comments:

Post a Comment