Buddies
When I was a young boy, probably 5 or 6, my dad said to call him Buddy. He'd call me Buddy. We'd be Buddies. Growing up I never really felt the label applied to our relationship. But now, it's starting to.
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When I was a young boy, probably 5 or 6, my dad said to call him Buddy. He'd call me Buddy. We'd be Buddies. Growing up I never really felt the label applied to our relationship. But now, it's starting to.
I returned my Dad's call later that evening...
Dad: So I understand there's gonna be a night-time service?
Rich: Yeah, on Saturday there is an evening service.
Dad: And I understand Grandmaw's gonna be there?
Rich: Yes, grandma will be there.
Dad: Oh good.
Rich: Why, are you gonna go?
Dad: Yeah, of course I'm gonna go!
Rich: Oh ok good, I just wanted to be sure I'd see you there.
Dad: Oh yeah, I'll see you there Rich.
Rich: So you want to go to the bar with me Sunday while Mommy and DO do the house tour?
Dad: OK, let me put Ann back on the phone. Ann??
Rich: No Dad, that's ok. I want to talk to you. It's ok. Don't worry about that.
Dad: Hold on, Ann's coming to the phone.
Rich: OK. So, I'm looking forward to seeing you.
Dad: I'm looking forward to seeing you Rich. Where's Tiff?
Rich: She's watching TV. I'm in the bathroom.
Dad: hehehe, Rich...
Rich: But she can't wait to see you!
Dad: Awh, you tell Tiffany. Heh? Hold on, here's your mother.
Not even a full week into this project, I received the first voicemail from my dad in a long time.
Voicemail message:
Hey Rich... Dad.
Just thought I'd eh give you a call. Uh, I've been dialing trying to get a hold of ya.
I just wanna say hi and all that kinda stuff and uh, see where we're goin with Granmaw and all that kinda stuff. uh, i'm at home, uh, give me a call. (mom in background: "We're at Ocean Grove.") ah, I'm at Ocean Grove so, I think you know the (to mom: "what's the...") Oh. We're at the, the the, get, mos, whazzit... Ocean..... Ocean Grove.... Anyhow, give me a call when you get a chance.
Dad: hey rich
Rich: hey how's it goin?
Dad: I guess we're doing OK, for an old guy.
Rich: You're not an old guy.
Dad: You mean I can still run? How's Tiff?
Rich: She's good.
Dad: How's Grandma?
Rich: She's good too, she's feeling better.
Dad: When she goes to church she goes at night? I don't mind going at night when you can meet people you like.
We had the whole tribe yesterday. My brother and a whole group of people. You know, we hadn't seen them in a while. And what the heck was her name? Let me ask Ann again, I can't think of it... Naomi. Naomi and who? Steve. Who else? My brother Paul. You still there?
Rich: Yeah, did you have a good time?
Dad: Yeah we had a lot of fun. My brother is a lot of fun, he's a character, he'll play tricks on you. Everything went fine.
Dad: We're here with some good looking people.
Conversation with Dad, day after the Coiras visited Ocean Grove, day of parents at Betsy's 10/16/06 5:30 PM
Dad: "Hey Rich, how's my girlfriend?"
Rich: "Which one?"
Dad: "How many do you have??"
Rich: "Me? I only have one, I thought you had all the girlfriends."
Dad: Chuckle "TIFFANY!"
Rich: "Oh she's great, I wasn't sure if you meant Gramma or Tiff or Kim."
Dad: "All of them. They're my girls."
Rich: "I know they are. They love you."
Dad: Chuckle
Rich: "So what's up?"
Dad: "I've been running a lot the last couple weeks. I RAN like the LIGHTNING. People look at me like... look at that guy running like the lightning."
Rich: "Yeah I bet they are. You always run like the lightning."
Dad: "Alan called me, he needs this and that. So I guess I gotta get dressed"
Rich: "Yeah, well... it's good to be dressed."
Dad: Chuckle, "You know, I gotta do work. This and that, the whole thing."
Rich: "Well, don't work too hard."
Dad: "I'm always working hard, that's what I do."
Rich: "Yeah, I know dad. Don't over do it."
Dad: "I'm at Home Depot, you need your mother?"
- Phone call with Dad 10/13/06 12:50PM