He: So did you have some ice cream on your anniversary?
My dad loves ice cream. He is perpetually slender. I hate him.
Me: Uh, no, Dad.
He: You should have had some ice cream.
*******
He: So I had that treadmill test.
Me: Yeah, how did that go?
He: The doctor told me he’d only had two good tests that week, a 26 year old’s and mine.
Me: Wow, Dad.
He: And I’m 73!
Me: I know!
He: I think the doctor was jealous.
Me: I’m sure he was.
*******
He: So he told me I have only a 1% chance of having a cardiac incident in the next five years.
Me: You are truly amazing.
He: Yep.
Me: Obviously, you should start smoking.
He: Heeheeheeheehee.
Me: And pigging out on ice cream.
He: Heeheeheeheehee.
Me: I mean, why not?
He: Yeah, why not?
He’s just a little kid, that man. I’m glad he’s still around so we can come full circle.
All we do when we talk now ….. is laugh.
I’m taking up rock stacking and adding plenty of ice cream to my diet. I want to be that healthy at 73.
Brian — Yeah. Nuts, isn’t it?? Rock stacking, wood turning, tie-dye, and, let’s see, oh, stained glass. And ice cream!!
It’s the butter pecan!!
Bless his heart! I’m so happy for you guys.
It’s nice. We’ve had a difficult relationship in the past — because of my mom being sick and its impact on the family — but we see each other differently now, I think. There’s more grace on both sides.
I’m happy for you that you have those kinds of conversations with your dad…and more than a little jealous. My dad died of a heart attack when I was 15, and it’s those fun and easy-going conversations that I miss most. That and him meeting my husband…they would have really liked each other…oh yeah, giving me away at the wedding…and meeting his grandchildren…and playing cards…and sitting around the kitchen table with a glass of sweet iced tea, bickering about some obscure passage in the Bible…great, now I’ve made myself cry. Yep, be sure to cherish your time with your dad while you’ve got him…