Growing up as Daddy's little girl had both it's up sides and down sides, much as flipping a coin, watching it somersault up through the air and begin it's tumult back towards solid ground. Heads - you win, and tails - you lose! I got plenty of both but in looking back, as hindsight is 20/20, I see both as good in the scheme of molding and shaping my life. Read on and you shall see.
When Daddy took my sister and me to see Santa for the first time, the differences in our personalities was quite evident. Tammy was going through her shy stage and I was, well, just me! My sister went up front and just stood there in front of Santa with two fingers in her mouth. Santa took the initiative and asked her if she would like to sit on his lap, and she answered uh huh, fingers never leaving her mouth throughout the whole visit. So Santa picked her up, sat her on his knee, and asked her what she would like for Christmas. She just sat there ho humming and repeating ahh, ahh, ahh. So Santa again took up the initiative and asked her if she would like a dolly, same response from her, so he added and a baby carriage to put her in? Tammy with those two fingers still in her mouth, mumbled uh huh. I guess Santa gave up on any cute little child conversation with her, gave her a candy cane and turned her around so she could go back down the ramp.
When she returned, Daddy said to me, "It's your turn now."
That was all I needed to send me flying up that ramp and jumping right up on Santa's lap. He said, "Well, hello there young lady" and I replied with a big grin and saying, "Hi"!
He then asked me what I wanted for Christmas and according to Daddy, I threw my hands up in the air, looked at him like he was silly and loudly responded with, "Toys", as in duh!! I then asked him if I could have two candy canes and he being quite surprised by the whole thing, gave me two and I took off running back down the ramp! I was elated, but Daddy just laughed then told me I was very impolite to Santa! Isn't that what Santa was there for? Hell-lo Daddy!! Then we went back up the ramp to get our picture taken with Santa to make a memory of our first visit with Dear old Santa.
Some time passed and before I knew it, I was old enough to go to school! Now, I always tried my hardest to behave and be a good girl so I would keep Daddy happy! But some times, you just don't know the rules of the way the world works yet. It was recess time and I was dressed in my new dress, my new undies and new ruffled anklets. I saw an open swing and ran for it! Success, it was mine! I began to swing higher and higher, eyes closed, enjoying the wind blowing through my hair and the cool breeze as I went back and forth. I just happened to hear some boys laughing and taunting someone, so I opened my eyes and saw a group of boys pointing and laughing at me! So I listened a little harder and discovered they were laughing and pointing at me saying I had flowered under panties on. I yelled back to them that I did not! They responded that I did and now, a larger crowd of boys were gathering and laughing and I got mad! So what did I do? I tightened my legs just as stiff as they could be, and stopped that swing with my feet in a huge cloud of dust. I put my hands on my hips and marched right up to them and told them they were liars, I was not wearing flowered underwear! (Now, mind you, up to this point, I didn't know wearing flowered undies was a laughing matter, but seeing as I was accused of wearing them when I wasn't, I was mad!
Then one of the boys had the audacity to say, "Oh yeah, well if you're not, then prove it!"
So with much indignation, I lifted the bottom of my dress right up to my chin so they could clearly see what they had mistaken for flowers were polka dots! I said, "See! Polka dots!"
Then the boys started laughing harder and the next thing I heard was a whistle blowing and Mrs. Walters, the playground lady, glaring and running right towards me. I was totally shocked as she grabbed me by the arm and hadn't gotten after those boys for teasing a little girl! I dropped my dress as she gently pulled me aside. She told me that little girls showing their underwear to little boys was not proper playground behavior for young ladies. So I explained the whole situation to her expecting her to rip into those boys who were still all huddled around watching. But much to my surprise and shock, she explained to me that we had to go to the principals office and call my house and report the incident to my parents. Uh oh! Did I do something wrong? Was Daddy and Mommy going to be mad at me, was I going to get in trouble?
I tried not to cry and did a good job of it, but I couldn't stop that quivering bottom lip! I had to sit in a chair while the principal called my house from his office, therefore missing every word that was spoken. I was scared for the rest of the day and when school was over, I took my time walking home. When I finally arrived, my sister yelled there she is, and Mommy and Daddy asked me to tell them what had happened at school. I related the whole incident again, but this time to my parents and this time I couldn't hold back the tears. My mom held me close to her and told me it was OK, because I didn't realize what I had done was improper and my dad said that when I wore dresses to school, they would send a pair of shorts for me to put on at recess. Case closed! Or not! Because from that point on, Daddy had taken it upon himself to teach me how to be ladylike and classy.
That meant no more blowing bubbles in my milk at
any table, no more belching out loud and laughing, and that was the day Daddy taught me the "catch and blow" technique of classy burping. He explained that when a lady feels a burp coming up she closes her mouth and catches the gas, then discreetly turns her head a little and very slowly lets the air escape through slightly parted lips, blowing ever so gently. Boy, the older you got, the harder it was to have fun!
A few years later when I was only seven years old, I had the unfortunate experience of having lost both of my front teeth right at Christmas time. Daddy with his sense of humor thought it was quite funny to sing to me "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" by Alvin and the Chipmunks, as quite ironically, my mom had bought that album for my sister, my brother and me right after Thanksgiving, and just before both of my front teeth fell out. Oh, how I cringed when he'd sing it! And when I'd yell at him to "thop thinging that thong", he'd just crack himself right up with gut wrenching laughter, Geez, Daddy! Have a heart!
Shortly thereafter, unfortunately, my parents split up, daddy left, and that was the end of what I thought was our happy little family. I was still Daddy's little girl though! But just because he didn't live at home any longer, he still always came by and picked me up when he was out running errands. And he'd always buy me ice cream singing, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" We'd either go to a near by farm dairy where I'd get a blue moon ice cream cone, or to the Dairy Queen where I'd either get a cherry dipped cone or a Dilly Bar. Every Sunday he'd pick us up and take us to fun places like the zoo, the museum, to the movies for a Disney matinee, carnivals, and petting zoos.
Sometimes when he got us for a whole week, he'd take us camping up north. He was a lot of fun to be with! Without failure, every time he dropped us back home, he would ask us, "How much do you love Daddy?" In unison every time, Tammy and Tony would stretch their arms out just as far as they could possibly reach without pulling a muscle and say, "This much Daddy!" Then he'd turn to me and say "What about you, Sweets?" I would then put both my hands over my heart and tell him, with all of my heart and soul! Daddy always left with a warmed heart and happy demeanor.
Before I fully knew what happened, I was living with my Daddy in his new house and his new wife! It was awkward for me in many ways that I cannot even describe, but Daddy was still always there for me, I was his "sweets"! He was my hero and I was Daddy's little girl.
As most avid hunters have their hunting dogs, my dad had his too, for rabbit, duck and pheasant hunting. He then became an A.K.C. breeder as well. The problem with that was when all the new little puppies were born, I wasn't allowed to play with them! Dad said that it would ruin them as hunting dogs, which he was breeding them for, not for family pets! Once again, all it took was a quivering bottom lip and big tears welling up in my eyes and...you guessed it, I got my very own puppy! Not a pure bred, but a puppy just the same. He was a doxen and beagle mix, the cutest little thing I had ever seen. I remember that day like it was only yesterday!
It was a warm sunny day with a bright blue sky, only interrupted occasionally, by a big white fluffy cloud lazily passing by. I was in the back yard, down by the lake watching the bluegill and sunfish and little minnows fighting to gobble up the bread chunks that I was tossing to them while enjoying the sunshine kissing my skin (and giving me freckles) while warming me all over. I was a million miles away lost in my own private thoughts that were running through my head much as marquee's flashing light bulbs. Then suddenly I was torn from them by hearing Daddy's voice calling my name in the manner which meant I was getting a surprise! I jumped up and practically flew to meet Daddy at the car just as he was getting out. And what did my expectant eyes see?, a teeny tiny little puppy!
Daddy held him out to me in the palm of hid hand. I started jumping up and down and asked of him, For me? He said, Yep! Just for you and put the puppy right into my awaiting arms. Oh, he was so warm and cuddly, his fur so soft and silky! When I raised him to eye level to get a better look, out came his little pinkish red tongue licking my face over and over,with his tail wildly wagging back and forth! Awww! I was in love with him immediately and obviously, he with me. It was love at first sight! He was black and brownish red with the exact markings of a doberman pincher.
Dad interrupted our love affair and asked what I was going to name the new puppy, and without much thought at all, I told him I was naming my new love Snoopy! I chose that name because I missed my mom and Snoopy was her favorite "Peanuts" character along with Woodstock, but that just didn't fit!
Every where I went that day, to my best friend's house, to all my other friends houses and to the corner store around the block, little snoopy was right beside me! He wouldn't leave my side even when I tried to get him to lay down for a nap. When night began to fall and dusk was settling over the neighborhood, I tried to bring Snoopy into the house, but was told by my step mom, he had to stay on the back porch(which was a room off the back facing the lake, but it was not heated.) Snoopy whined and whimpered breaking my heart, as I could see him through the glass of the separating door, and my heart was truly physically hurting. I was so depressed that I refused to eat dinner as my little Snoopy began howling puppy cries! My reward for that? An early bath and up to bed!
But that was OK, because I had a plan brewing in my mischievous little mind, and began to put it into action. I got out my sleeping bag and hid it under my bed until I was all tucked in, prayers said, and kissed goodnight. I waited for what seemed like an eternity, then very quietly, reached under my bed, grabbed my sleeping bag and snuck out to the back porch. Doggone it, if Snoopy couldn't sleep with me, then by golly, I would sleep with him! Sometime in the middle of the night, I was wakened by the voices of my dad and step mom saying there she is and Daddy saying isn't that cute she's sleeping in the cold back porch to sleep with Snoopy. Then I was instructed to get back up into my bed, but having a stubborn streak that rarely gets defeated, I refused! So my Daddy told me to have it my way, but I'd be back in when it got too cold. But, Daddy was wrong because there was a repeat five nights in a row, til he relented and Snoopy was allowed in the house and in my bed. I won that battle!
That also gave my dad a great idea,(I was good for Daddy too!) Since the house rule of no dogs allowed had been rescinded on my behalf, he could let his hunting beagle in also, and the the two dogs became best of friends!
Watching them together while running them in preparation for rabbit hunting was a funny sight to see! Blue, my dad's dog ran through the tall weeds perfectly, but Snoopy having the thick body and long ears of a beagle, but the long body and short little legs of a doxen, was hilarious and gave me and Daddy many laughs! He jumped like a deer playing in the fields and all you could see just over the tops of the weeds and tall grass, was just a bit of the top of his head, and those long ears waving up and down! Memories I will never forget!
My pre-teen years were filled with lots of learning from Daddy! He taught me how to water ski, to play baseball, basketball, football, he tried to teach me to be his caddy when he golfed and I am perfectly glad to announce that one was a big failure after just once! I hate golf now, with the exception of putt putt golf which is more fun! He taught me how to drive the boat and the tractor and the dune buggy and the snowmobile. He bought me a mini bike and taught me how to drive that, he bought me a 22 gauge rifle and taught me how to shoot as well. We shared many wonderful moments together. But something was missing from the family, a boy!
And that's when my brother Tony moved into that house with us! I now, was not the only one to embarrass my dad by saying things we didn't quite understand. One day Daddy got a phone call from Mable, the manager of the party store and she was fuming! Seems Tony overheard Daddy telling one of his buddies a joke involving a woman named Mable. So the next time Tony went to the party store, he sang to her, "Mable, get off of the table, the dollar's for the beer!" BwaaHaa! Busted ya, Daddy! Tony and I had fun together, we fought each other and
for each other, we hated each other and we loved each other. It was a true big sister, little brother experience! Mostly though, we were good buddies and stuck up for each other, (
mostly.) LOL!
Before you knew it, I was a full fledged teenager and then Daddy taught me how to drive a car, to race snowmobiles, and traded in my mini bike for a motorcycle and taught me to race those too! But that didn't work out in my favor, because for my sweet 16th birthday, I got 16 yellow roses and a 1978 yellow Trans Am! Yeah Baby! Lot's of guys at high school were jealous and one in particular had an older souped up mustang and bet me $100 that he could beat me in a drag race. OOH, the fun was about to begin! Just across from the neighborhood party store, they had taken out the fields where Daddy and I once ran the dogs, and were putting in a new neighborhood. All they had done at this point, was the roads put in and paved, a perfect spot for a drag race! So we picked our day, spot, time and met for the big event which had pulled quite a crowd! Cheerleader vs. Burnout Jock wanna be. Ladies and Gentleman, start your engines! We both mashed the gas pedal revving up motors, the make shift flags dropped, and tires were a squealing! The race was on and over very quickly! I not only won, I kicked his bad butt bottom! To celebrate, my friends and I went across the street to get some goodies from the party store, and then...Oh, Oh! Daddy was in that parking lot glaring a hole through me! Why today, of all days, did he decide to go buy a new garden tractor and decide to tool on over to the party store with it? He came towards me running, then said with his palm out, hundred bucks, I gave, next he said, keys, I hesitated until he repeated himself then I gave. He handed me the keys to the new lawn tractor and told me to drive it home, as he would take the car home. The crowd disappeared and I slowly drove that darn tractor home.
Once I was there, Daddy told me in no uncertain terms, he was taking the car back as he didn't buy it for me to kill myself! I argued, kill myself?, what in the heck is that supposed to mean? He told me that drag racing was very dangerous and that he was speaking from experience, because when he was my age, he and his buddies used to drag up and down Woodward Avenue, and yes, he lost a buddy to it one night. I very calmly explained to him that it really wasn't my fault, it was his and I shouldn't be punished for it! He told me that was hogwash and asked how in the heck it was his fault! I explained to him that he bought me a snowmobile and taught me to race it and I was good at it, that he bought me a motorcycle and taught me to race it and I was good at that too. So how could he even make an idiotic assumption that if he bought me a muscle car that I wouldn't race it?, and added that I obviously was good at that too! Probably a bad idea to say that, huh? BwaaHaa! He just answered with, it's gone! I was so bummed but asked him if I could at least keep the matching key chain. He just wrinkled his face up and said one word, "No!"
A few weeks later after I rode the bus home, a silver and "rust" pinto sat in the driveway. Oh, joy!, it was mine!
16 years old also meant a different kind of experience for me because house rules were I couldn't date until I reached that age, and it didn't take long for male callers to ask for that privilege! Now was the time for Daddy to have some real fun! When one would arrive in the drive way and just beep the horn for me, Dad was the one to go out to the car and tell them in no uncertain terms that they would not be taking me anywhere because any boy that didn't have the decency to come to the door, meet him, then take me out weren't good enough for me! Quite a few went bye-bye! Those that did have that decency to do the traditional meet and greet were allowed the honor of my presence for a date with a strict curfew mandated! If they were to bring me home so much as five little minutes late, Daddy was on the front porch with his shot gun in his hand! Quite a few more went bye-bye! Sheesh Daddy! If a boyfriend just wanted to come over and hang, then Daddy made them do hard labor, (as he always had some project or another going on) and they barely got fifteen minutes with me! Quite a few were discouraged that way too! It was rough! But I started taking college classes while still in high school and that left little room for dating.
I was offered my first acting job in Texas, I accepted, and moved there fully paid for by the company. I learned about high heels, makeup, fingernail polish, and jewelry! I had discovered my femininity and loved it! For six months while the position lasted, I did quite a bit of dating, however still being a novice in that area, some certain things were asked of me (which I'm sure I don't have to explain)and as I indignantly declined those offers, a lot more went bye-bye again!
It was time to come home and that is when Daddy met his match! May I introduce to you the winner of Daddy's chasing them off game? His name was Bill Kern, a wild and exciting bad boy with a bad reputation and some run ins with the law! He was in a gang before gangs were cool! The name of the game was "The Pine Tree Mafia!" Daddy wasn't happy and tried different tricks, like since he was a member of the Jaycees Organizatioin, which had a lot of members that also happened to be Oakland County police officers, he told me he pulled some strings and got a rap sheet on Bill and it was three feet long. He proceeded to tell me Bill had B and E's, drunken disorderlies, disturbing the peace, yada, yada, yada and the big one...Grand Theft Auto on the sheet. I didn't believe him because Bill was such a gentleman, sooo romantic and sweet and polite! Nice try Daddy! Heh, heh, it turned out some of it was true, except the grand theft, as that was Daddy's embellishment along with the three feet long story.
So Daddy moved on with the hard work trick but Bill was a stubborn one or maybe just determined, or maybe a little of both! LOL! So Bill took whatever Daddy would dish out and came back for more! Not even his "bad boy buddies" could disuade him with their teasing by singing "Big bad William is sweet little Billy now!" every time he brought me around them.
Then tragedy struck! My mom who absolutely adored Bill, unlike Daddy, was killed in a car accident which totally devestated me and drove me further into Bill's arms. Daddy saw how serious this was getting and decided to take me for a drive and have a little talk. He told me if a man needed a good pair of shoes to last him for the rest of his life, he wouldn't buy a pair that another man had already walked a mile in. I looked at him confused like and said HUH? Then he tried another approach. He told me that if a man had been searching for a red, ripe, perfect cherry for himself, he certainly wouldn't pick one off the tree that already had a bite taken out of it! When he used the word cherry, something in my head popped and I understood what he was saying! Oh, umm, no pun intended there, LOL! Anyway, I told Daddy he was such a nerd, and not to worry, he had raised me to be a classy lady, and not a (BLEEP)!
I was having a hard time getting out of the depression I had fallen into upon Mom's death and Bill's mom basically in a nutshell, asked me what I thought my mom wanted me to do? Next thing was a big dazed whirlwind of wedding planing being done by my future mother-in-law, and before you knew it, I was getting married! Daddy gave up the fight, supported me and gave his little girl away to a man who wasn't his choice for her, anyway!
What a guy Daddy!
Life and our marriage progressed and children were born and life carried on. Daddy was just as great a grandfather as he was a father and loved his grandchildren like no other! He even became a great grandfather and not long after, tragedy struck again! Daddy fell and broke his arm and it was later discovered he also shattered some ribs, but too late! He was admitted to the hospital and never walked out alive!
That day, I lost my Daddy, my confidant, my shoulder, my port in the storm and a part of myself. The most ironic thing about it was shortly before his trip and fall, he gave me a CD with a single song on it, "Daddy's Girl" by Red Sovine. He also shook Bill's hand, when visiting from his home up north where he had retired to, and called him "Son" for the very first time. Did he subconsciously know he was soon to leave the confines of this earth and be released to go to his true home in heaven? I often wonder as I ponder and stroll down Memory Lane as Daddy's little girl!
Daddy, I just want to thank you for all the quality time you spent with me, for speaking into my life throughout all of the stages of my growth, the great potential that lie within me, for informing me that God made me wonderful and unique and made me a special gift to the world to spread good cheer and laughter and happiness together! Because Daddy, that molded and shaped me into the kindhearted, funlovin and adventerous woman, friend, wife, mother, and grandmother that I am today! Thank you for supporting me in all of my endeavors and pouring all of yourself into my life, and know that I will always be grateful for that, as long as I reside on this earth!
I Miss You Daddy, Rest in Peace
Daddy,
Although death leaves us a terrible ache that no one can heal,
Love leaves wonderful, marvelous memories that no one can steal!
You're alive in my heart and I'm a living branch of your family tree.
So are my children and their children, so on and on, lives your legacy!
When my life here on earth is over, and I'm at the pearly gates,
I know that for me, your open arms for an embrace, awaits!
Daddy's Little Girl,
Terra
Heartbroken from Grief?Thank you for taking that bumpy stroll with me!
Until we meet again,
XOXOXO
MissTerraK
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