My 29th Birthday: Part 2, Carnies, The Roar of a Motorcycle, Fried Chicken, and a Jewelry Box

It was 4^th of July weekend and I was home alone.  We lived a block from the carnival, which brought in allllll sorts of people.  The “carnies” parked their campers at the end of the opposite block.  I was given strict warnings about keeping the doors to the house locked.  Hundreds of people walked past our house that day.

Every sound I heard made me jump, or peek out the curtain with wide-eyes.  I spent much of that hot July day under a blanket, because I assumed if I couldn’t see the bad guys, they couldn’t see me. 

I was sitting on the couch when I heard the roar of a motorcycle pull up into the front yard.

While that sound may scare others, it brought me comfort.  When I heard the loud pipes made even louder by being positioned directly outside the window, I knew MY DAD WAS HOME! 

This was only Friday though; I wasn’t expecting him to be back until Sunday.  And my mom wasn’t with him, so I assumed something was wrong. 

My heart raced.

I ran to the door. 

I squeezed him just as tight as I could.

He told me to put long pants on, we were going out for a ride.

He took me to the Barrel Drive In and gave me two gifts, which I am still using today.

The first gift was a little wooden jewelry box.

 

If you’ve spent any time here at all you know that I am NOT a sentimental person.  So the fact that I’m still using this is mostly just because it’s still very functional.  A little banged up, yes, but very functional.  Okay, and maybe it holds a small special place in my heart because the bottom is signed by “Dad”.

The second gift, was the best of all. 

It was the gift of just being there.

Just being with my dad.

Quality time together isn’t my love language, but it is my husband’s. 

I remember how good it felt that day to have my dad with me.  When my husband starts mentioning that we haven’t had a lot of time together, I used to start planning extravagant dates and lining up sitters. 

Sometime though my mind shifted and I remembered that quality time can be something as simple as eating fried chicken together, going for a walk, or just having an uninterrupted conversation. 

 

Thank you, Dad, for all that you’ve not only given me, but also taught me. 

Love,

Your Little Girl