In the Rear-View Mirror

On Father's Day, some things that remind me of my own Darling Daddy:

• The scent of classic original Chapstick, which he always carried in his right front pocket;
• Cross Pen's Classic Century pen and pencil set tucked in a smart sport coat breast pocket;
• Capper & Capper suits;
• A bowl of nuts in the shell and a nutcracker set on a hearth, next to a recliner;
• The drive from Chicago to Boston and back in a Ford Country Squire station wagon;
• Slide rules;
• Elaborate menus for home dinner parties;
• A snore that rattles the walls;
• Fried bologna or fried salami on white bread with yellow mustard;
• Church ushers;
• Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake or Julie Andrews considered a hottie;
• Cotton handkerchiefs, freshly washed and ironed and smelling of spray sizing, in his left front pocket;
• Blenders full of frozen daiquiris at patio parties in the summer;
• Precise printing and cursive handwriting;
• PGA and LPGA golf on television;
• Church league softball games;
• The scent of Right Guard anti-perspirant;
• A deep, steady heartbeat;
• His favorite song, from his favorite movie:

• The phrase, "I'm just resting my eyes."

I miss him on Father's Day and every day.