Happy Father`s Day to Dads who can`t be here today
I wasn't going to write anything today but I decided I have to write something even though my Father-in-Law died yesterday.
My own father died 20 years ago and Saturday my wife's dad, the man I also called "Dad" for the last 30 years passed away peacefully at the age of 86. Although he was 25 years my senior we shared the same birthday which is very handy since we could wish each other "Happy Birthday" on one convenient phone call.
My wife and I like to take our children (both boys are grown men married in their 20s) and nephews (and sometimes even friends) on vacation when we go. We alternate going to Disney World every other year with Vegas or Los Angeles or cruises. My father-in-law would come with us almost every year. Last year we had almost 16 relatives and friends at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. And as absurd as it may sound, our vacations were always fun although a little tough to book dinners for.
I mention this because I never went on a real vacation with my own father. My dad always combined business with vacation. He would arrange to run the candy store concession at some Ellenville New York resort which allowed his family to stay in rooms for next to nothing for a whole summer. I can't tell you how many Jewish girls I met! Other years he would do likewise in Sackett Lake or some other Catskill resort. The only time my brother and I would actually see my father is when we went to the candy store to get, well, candy.
The rest of the year my father ran his own woman's dry goods store: panties, girdles, stockings, gloves, scarves, handbags, and costume jewelry. My brother and I worked for him before we were teens. I could tell a woman's bra size just by looking by the time I was 10. I haven't stopped looking since.
But with my wife's dad, my other dad, vacation could be enjoyed just for itself. Having him for a father-in-law made it easier to accept my own father's death years ago. Indeed, he treated me as if I were his real son. His passing now has brought it all into one jolt for me yesterday: I miss both of my dads so very much.
So, aside from wishing every father out there a "Happy Father's Day", here's one for all the dads that aren't here anymore:
