Father's Day

I was a fortunate child. I had a daddy who spent time with me. The Alan Jackson song "Daddy Let Me Drive" is a snippet into my childhood....my first memory behind a steering wheel was a fiberglass boat, shiny red. I learned to ski at six. My daddy used to brag that I "got up" on the little three foot long skis on my second try and he pulled me all over Lake Martin before he just stopped the boat in front of our pier because I was too scared to let go of the rope. There are pictures somewhere in my mama's house of me with those little skis and that red boat.
Daddy taught me to drive his truck on the muddy roads at the lake. I remember distinctly the seat pushed back as far as it would go with me standing up steering as Daddy worked the gas and brake. He was determined that I was gonna know how to drive. I learned early and as a pre-teen I remember him letting me back the truck up to put the boat on the trailer. I overheard him telling somebody once that "That girl can drive anything". He bought me a mini-bike when I was eleven. I had a street bike at 14. He just couldn't wait for me to have my own car so I got an orange VW Beetle at 15 and I drove a "stick shift" for the first time. I remember getting the crash course in all four speeds and reverse in five minutes...he paid the man and I drove that little bubble home, I'm sure my mother can attribute her neck problems to that experience. Daddy never said as such but he had a lot of confidence in me. He worried a bit about the hollow front of that VW though. He said many times, "Girl I know you love that car but it scares me to think of something hittin' you". The fact that I drove it like it was "Herbie" probably added to his nervousness...In December of my Junior year of high school Daddy showed up at the gym where we were decorating for the Christmas Dance. I thought something terrible must have happened because my daddy NEVER came to school. It turned out that he'd been talking to the man at the car lot and had essentially already bought me a new car. He made it look like I had picked it out but when we got to the lot he said"There are four cars right there in a row, you get in the one you like the best and it's yours." It was like a game show that I had WON! I had been admiring a friend's Olds Cutlass and secretly wanted one. I don't even remember telling Daddy about it but he knew. They were all beautiful but I was instantly drawn to a real "girl car". It was light green with white leather seats, an eight track and am/fm radio, it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. It was brand new and it was mine!
I drove that car all through college. Michael and I left the church for our honeymoon in it and there is a picture of my daddy standing in the background smiling with his arms crossed as if he were saying, "There goes that girl who can drive anything, if she handles her life like I've taught her she'll be just fine". I never asked him, but if I had he probably would have quiped....."She's gonna drive that boy straight to the crazy house"which I'm sure is closer to the truth.
Thanks Daddy!