A goodbye kiss

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to
stand up and jostled the table, spilling his coffee
over his notes. "How embarrassing. I am getting so
clumsy in my old age."

Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all
telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It
came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the
others. Someone said, "Come on, Frank. Tell us your
most embarrassing moment."

Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood.
"I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and
he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard
making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would
stay out until he caught enough to feed the family.
Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom
and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."

He looked at us and said, "I wish you could have met
my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from
pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch.
When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean.
He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and
his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down
over his brow. No matter how much my Mother washed
them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish."

Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad
he would drive me to school. He had this old truck
that he used in his fishing business. That truck was
older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the
road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would
drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the
seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would slam
to a stop and the old truck would belch a cloud of
smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed
like everybody would be standing around and watching.
Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the
cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so
embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and
my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I
decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got
to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big
smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand
up and said, 'No, Dad.'

It was the first time I had ever talked to him that
way, and he had this surprised look on his face.

I said, 'Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm too
old for any kind of kiss.'

My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes
started to tear up. I had never seen him cry. He
turned and looked out the windshield. 'You're right,'
he said. 'You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss you
anymore.'"

Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears
began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. "It wasn't
long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came
back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in,
but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found
his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He
must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save
the nets and the floats."

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down
his cheeks. Frank spoke again. "Guys, you don't know
what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more
kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face....to
smell the ocean on him....to feel his arm around my
neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a
man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for
a goodbye kiss."

From: JeanAustria@astec-power.com

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