on the road

i love my family. i think we’re a bunch of crazy kooks. out of the three siblings, oriana might be the most mature… which is sad considering she is 6 years younger than me – 8 years younger than oliver. we steal each other’s food from dinner plates. we poke each other until we collapse in giggles. we pinch our mom who will turn around and punch/kick you hard enough that you’ll regret it – and then she will laugh at you.

i have always had a soft spot for my father – i’m not sure what it is (other than the fact that he IS my father and i am almost obligated to have such feelings)… but it might be the extreme case of ‘daddy’s girl’ syndrome.

i think some of my best memories with my dad is when i was young. we owned several dollar tree type stores in california and my dad would have to deliver goods from one store to another in a medium-sized white truck that was always dirty. often times he would take my brother and i along for the ride during the nights, but sometimes it would just be me. it was like i was a grown up sitting beside my dad in such a tall vehicle. he taught me how to whistle. and he taught me how to blow a bubble from chewing gum. we’d stop at the same hole-in-the-wall chinese restaurant every time where he would order my favorite roast duck noodle soup. i still remember the taste, the smell, the layout and the green dishes. on the way back, we’d pass a movie theater where i would always beg to watch a movie. when he said no, i knew it meant no – but then when he’d say ‘i’ll think about it’ i’d squeal with delight because i knew that meant yes. once – i wanted to watch balto but he dragged me to see treasure island instead. a little girl can’t always have her way. but i’m glad for that now.

he has the most distinctive cough. i went to watch day after tomorrow when i was in college and i heard the cough. after the movie, i immediately called my dad and while i was waiting for him to pick up – sure enough – i saw his car leaving the movie theater. we would always joke that if we got separated or lost – he would just have to cough and we could find him.

he can draw. well. he wrote me a poem. he dedicated a song to me. he taught me how to cook his special blue crab and shared with me the ‘secret’ ingredients. he brought me to texas before any one else. he tells me his successes. confides in me his failures.

if there is one lesson that i have learned from God – it’s unconditional love. it’s not always easy or fun. it definitely brings heartache – sometimes more than joy. but i get it. and i love my dad. my family. unconditionally.