Dad

By Mike Colonna Wake Up Call An elderly man’s son took it upon himself to explain to his dad why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. ‘You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one,’ the son said, ‘The young people of today are much more advanced than people your age, dad.” “We grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, and the Internet. We have cell phones, nuclear energy, electric cars, computers, automated manufacturing, amazing technologies. His son took a deep breath to make more points…..” His dad took advantage of the break in his son’s mini lecture and said, “You’re right, son. We didn’t have those things when we were young, so we invented them. Son, what are YOU doing for the next generation?” At least two to three times a month I dream of my relationship with my dad. He wasn’t as vocal as my mom, since he worked 10 hours a day Monday through Saturday, and half day on Sunday.He didn’t pontificate in words but in actions. He made sure we knew the simple ethics of working by example. My brother Frank and I would often work in his Hardware Store, learning how to stack merchandise, make keys, and try to keep his store clean since he wanted his customers to know he ran a tight ship. He was not a man of many words, my mom took care of that personality trait, but he loved to clown with my sis, brother, and me. We watched him, learned from him, and tried to lecture him on the perils of “chain smoking.” A habit he learned when he was a kid working in his dad’s bike shop in Italy. We respected him, he invented things, he bought and sold real estate, taught us how to negotiate and most of all he commanded respect. He’s been gone for more than 47 years, and I still dream about him. I see him as a man in his 60’s, working in our garage, creating inventions. He was proud of his name and what he accomplished in his life. He came solo on an immigrant ship in the 1920’s, when he was a young man, sang on the Italian hour in Chicago, my mom, a big fan, fell in love with his voice, They eventually married. Later they both worked in a clothing manufacturing company, saving every nickel, accumulated enough money to invest in real estate. My dad was proud of his ability to talk to people, he earned their respect. Sometimes we took “cheap shots” at him trying to chop his ego down a few notches, he took it all in, but it never affected his focus on becoming successful. In my dreams, I see him living alone, somewhere, wearing the same personality, and I insert myself into the dream, wishing I “hung out” with him more. Getting to know him better. Some dreams are so vivid I wake up tearing eyed wishing he was still here. Everyone loved my dad; he was a charismatic figure to all that knew him. Hopefully, I can earn the same respect while alive, and if not, I’ll see you in your dreams.