I asked everybody to tell me the first thing they thought of when they thought of Dad.
I expected it to be the birdhouses he made – after all, he gave one to virtually everyone he met.
But that didn’t even make the short list.
And, then I expected them to mention how much he loved Johnny Cash music.
That one actually came in third.
Second on the list was how much he loved my stepmother, Rosemary. I would have thought that was a no brainer. Everyone on the planet knew how lucky he got there.
No, actually what almost everybody mentioned was my Dad’s smile. You see, my Dad could put the Cheshire Cat to shame with that smile of his.
It was huge and you always wondered how his face was big enough to handle it. It was simply enormous.
AND, it was genuine!
My father couldn’t have faked it if he tried. And, my Dad was many things but never fake. His smile always lit up a room.
I think I must have still been in the crib the first time I can remember Dad’s special brand of sunshine smiling down on me.
His smile could be kind.
His smile could be uplifting
And, his smile could be mischievous.
It could even be somewhat hypnotic.
It might sound odd but a leaking roof reminded me of Dad’s smile the other day.
Our roof needs replaced next summer and I have been trying to plan and budget to do so. While the budgetting needs work, the actual repair job is what is giving me fits.
You see, I am terrified of heights.
Not just scared of heights. I am “peeing your pants when more than two feet off the ground” scared of heights. I had to wear a cap with blinders to paint the ceiling last Fall.
My father would be soooo disappointed in me. You see, my Dad loved to be on ladders.
Even better if he was on the roof!
One of my earliest memories is when Dad had to replace the roof of our old farmhouse soon after we moved in. The neighbors stopped over and Uncle Bob came out to help. My brother had somehow disappeared again and I was the one drafted to run errands.
My Dad was quite clearly in his element. His smile never stopped or faded as he zipped up and down the ladders like a monkey.
Every so often, Dad would peer over the edge of the roof and ask me to put something in the bucket so they could pull it up with a rope. Nails, shingles, hammers, you name it.
Everything was going along fine when I heard the neighbor go “Shit!” and the rope slid off the roof and landed on the ground with a thump.
There was silence for a minute and then my Dad’s smile appeared over the roofline.
“Um, Micheal, could you please toss that back up to us?”
“Sure, Dad.”
I tried. I swear I tried but the eight year old me was many things but an athlete I was not. Four times I tried to get that rope back up there but the best that I could do was smacking the bottom of the second floor window. The final time it even swung back and hit me in the face and knocked me on the ground.
“It’s not working, Dad. Can someone come down here and get this?”
My Dad’s smile faded a bit.
“Micheal, we are trying to hold this frame in place and we really need that box of nails.” he shrugged. “I guess you are just gonna have to bring them up to us.”
“What?”
“Grab the rope and tie it around your waist and come up the ladder.”
He wanted ME to CLIMB A LADDER?!?
“It will be fine, son. Just come on up.”
And the SMILE reappeared!
I got up off the ground and tied the rope to me.
“HELL WITH IT!!!” I thought. If my Dad could smile while asking me to do that then there was nothing to worry about.
So, I stepped on the first rung. Not bad.
Step two, that was okay…
Step three, I made the mistake of looking down.
Acrophobia is the fear of heights and it can cause:
- Dizziness – Check!
- Anxiety – Check!
- Panic – Check! Check! And, Check!
I grabbed tight to that ladder and closed my eyes.
“Micheal? What’s wrong?” asked my Dad.
“Dad, I can’t move…”
“Micheal, look at me…”
“I can’t Dad…”
“Micheal look at me.” came my Dad’s calm voice.
I turned my head up and opened my eyes and there was my Dad’s smile.
“Now, son, I want you to keep looking at me while you are climbing. Do not look down,”
“But, Dad -“
“Micheal, you know I would not ask you to do something dangerous, right?”
“Yes, Dad…”
“Okay, just keep looking at me while you climb.”
“Yes, sir.”
Slowly but surely, I c;limbed the ladder, Step by step, I climbed up. Dad’s smile never flickered.
It look forever! But, finally, I passed the eaves.
Dad grabbed me and pulled me off the ladder and away from the edge. It’s a good thing he did because that is when I turned and looked out. It was only about 20 feet but I felt like I was on Mount Everest’s peak.
And, it was beautiful! And, my Dad just kept smiling.
Dad perched me against the side of the dormer while they finished nailing the frame in place smiling the entire time. Oh, and he kept humming Johnny Cash songs.
I got my first real taste of beer that night.
And Dad smiled well into the night.
copyright 2021 M.J. Hobbs
Tales From An Old Ford 