For those who don't know, this is my Dad and Princess Julia(Christie's daughter).
Wednesday nights I usually have to myself. Drew bowls in a league and heads right there from work. Kaeleigh has youth group at her church and I drop her off by 6:30 and Drew picks her up. This past Wednesday she was getting ready and I was making myself presentable. Working from home sometimes the shower comes at the end of the work day and since I'd had a really shitty day I wanted to be done work and looking fresh (cue "She's Fresh" by Kool and the Gang). I stepped into the hallway from the bathroom and suddenly got a whiff of my Dad, it stopped me in my tracks.
My Dad smells of one of two things: cigars or Polo. He smokes those big fat stogies, but he's 6'4" and a pretty big guy so he can pull them off. He smoked cigars the entire time I was growing up, and quit many years ago. For his 60th birthday one of my cousins gave him cigars and he picked them up again. Healthy? Of course not, but the man has always done what he wanted. I happen to love the smell of cigars, simply because they remind me of him. He's not one of those people that reeks of cigar smoke, only when he's actually smoking them. However, the smell in the hall was Polo. I called Kae into the hall and told her what I smelled and she could smell it as well.
We sniffed high and low trying to find the source. Checked the linen closet where Drew has a small bottle of cologne, nothing. My room, the kitchen, Kae's room... still no. It was just right there in the hallway, outside the bathroom. How odd.
I sent my Dad a text message telling him of the smell and headed off to drop Kae at church. I picked up a bottle of Pinot on my way home and brought a glass outside with me onto the patio. I sat down and lit a fire and got a reply from my Dad. For the next half hour we sent little messages back and forth. He was complaining about how tough his life was, St. Thomas next week and sky box at the Mets the following, and I was whining about how I was going to look like a boy again with short hair and he was assuring me I never looked like a boy. We exchanged repeated I miss yous, as we often randomly do, and made tentative plans to get together again soon.
It was one of the best conversations I've ever had with him. Not because it was short or, quite honestly, not even a true conversation, but because of the way I felt when we were done. My Dad, with only a few words, made me feel special and loved simply with a few keystrokes on his phone. I miss my family every day, but with the beauty of technology it's like they are sitting with me on the patio, right when I need them.
My Dad smells of one of two things: cigars or Polo. He smokes those big fat stogies, but he's 6'4" and a pretty big guy so he can pull them off. He smoked cigars the entire time I was growing up, and quit many years ago. For his 60th birthday one of my cousins gave him cigars and he picked them up again. Healthy? Of course not, but the man has always done what he wanted. I happen to love the smell of cigars, simply because they remind me of him. He's not one of those people that reeks of cigar smoke, only when he's actually smoking them. However, the smell in the hall was Polo. I called Kae into the hall and told her what I smelled and she could smell it as well.
We sniffed high and low trying to find the source. Checked the linen closet where Drew has a small bottle of cologne, nothing. My room, the kitchen, Kae's room... still no. It was just right there in the hallway, outside the bathroom. How odd.
I sent my Dad a text message telling him of the smell and headed off to drop Kae at church. I picked up a bottle of Pinot on my way home and brought a glass outside with me onto the patio. I sat down and lit a fire and got a reply from my Dad. For the next half hour we sent little messages back and forth. He was complaining about how tough his life was, St. Thomas next week and sky box at the Mets the following, and I was whining about how I was going to look like a boy again with short hair and he was assuring me I never looked like a boy. We exchanged repeated I miss yous, as we often randomly do, and made tentative plans to get together again soon.
It was one of the best conversations I've ever had with him. Not because it was short or, quite honestly, not even a true conversation, but because of the way I felt when we were done. My Dad, with only a few words, made me feel special and loved simply with a few keystrokes on his phone. I miss my family every day, but with the beauty of technology it's like they are sitting with me on the patio, right when I need them.
2 comments:
OMG! What a great pic and your description of your dad fits him to a "T"...He's always been my favorite uncle, and I would just LOVE one of his bear hugs right now!! His cigars never smelled bad to me either...I learned later in life (from hubby) that it's because he smokes good ones. I guess it's the really cheap ones that stink.
Big hugs cousin!! You are VERY special to me!
He sounds like a great guy! So glad you got to connect with him. What a nice moment.
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