My Dad - Part 4 (Good-Byes)



Dad and Aaron 1974



  When my dad remarried, I rejoined him and the reorganised family.  I now had a step mom and three step brothers.  I never had brothers before, so this was a new experience.  I had kids to play with 7 by 24.

  I don't remember Dad interacting with us a lot.  I just remember being happy I was in his company, that was enough for me.  Probably because he was away so much, his being home was a treat in itself.  Later on, when I went to live with my paternal grandparents again, he would occasionally visit on weekends.  Again, not a lot of interaction, I was content to sit and watch TV with him.  One evening we watched The Jetsons premiere on prime time television (1962).  Funny, the things you remember.

  My favourite gift he ever gave me (they were few and far between) was a pocket transistor radio.  Very popular at the time, I remember it was made in Japan and  had a brown sewn leather case.  I wish I knew the brand it was, as now I collect radios and would love to find a duplicate of the first one I had.

  Years later, when I had a family of my own, we stopped by to visit him and my step mom in Newburyport, MA, as we occasionally did.  On one particular trip, I remember getting ready to leave and before we did, I walked up to him, hugged him and told him I loved him.  As far as I remember, that was the only time I ever did that and I am glad I did, because soon after that, he was no longer with us.

  I wish I knew what made Dad tick, how he felt about things and about himself., but I suspect he simply kept everything inside.  My loss.

Love is the child of illusion and the parent of disillusion. - Miguel de Unamuno