Even out of uniform, I'm scary looking. Or maybe I'm scarier out of uniform.
I dunno.
My daughter plays World Of Warcraft. The old fashioned way, with the cards and the geeky dice and all. Her and her boyfriend had been invited to play at a card shop in town with some other kids. The wife asked if I would go and check the place out.
The last place we had in town was creepy and nasty and looked like a den of thieves. I suspect that it was. Among other things.
So I went to scope the joint out. Dressed as I usually am in tiger striped camo pants, dark glasses, a big black coat and a hat that says "Wicked".
The place was a bit scroungy, but it was more teenage hangout scroungy than actually dirty. It looked live in. Like a place a bunch of teenage geeks would gather at to play World Of Warcraft.
And to my immense surprise, that was who was there. A bunch of teenage geeks. And one girl in the whole place. My daughter.
I scoped the place out. It wasn't too bad. But I felt like a gunfighter that had just walked into the sissiest saloon in town. Everybody quit talking when I walked in. Then they started trying to be friendly. Overly friendly. I thought I might have to shoot my way back out again.
Wandered over to the corner by my daughter and watched her get her cards and stuff together for a few minutes. I could see that the place was pretty harmless.
And I had think I had made my point.
That was my kid.
Don't make me come back here again.
As soon as I walked out the door the questions began. "Who was that dude?"
She just smiled. "That's my dad!"
And she knows I got her back if something goes down.
I aint afraid of no geeks.
Rainy days
-
The words of a song from 1921 (my mother would have been nine years old),
originally sung by Al Jolson, has been going through my mind since
yesterday. ...
15 hours ago
I'm glad to calm my dad. I'm glad that i have him to protect me and i know that he will be there to do it no matter what. love you dad
ReplyDeleteIf I would've had to go, you'd both still be explaining.
ReplyDeleteBetter then them knowing you from where you work.
ReplyDeleteMegs- Love you too, baby.
ReplyDeleteVinnie- You probably would have ended up staying and playing a round or two.
Guy- I'm sure it came up in the conversation after I left. She's somewhat proud of her "badas*" dad.
Your hat says "wicked"??
ReplyDeleteMegan, you're very lucky to have a protective Dad. Wish mine would have been.
Then there's your dad..........
ReplyDeleteBeing a dad kinda does something to you, dunnit? I remember the change coming over me after my Lad was born. Suddenly I didn't have a brain, I had an Organic Threat Assessment and Targeting Computer. Every room you enter is viewed through the lense of "What in this room can hurt my kid and how can I end it?"
ReplyDeleteTango- Wicked, like the musical. On the back it says "defy gravity".
ReplyDeleteBB- Between becoming a CO and a dad pretty much at the same time I went from the nicest guy in the world to this scary monster who stares down stray teenagers. Both experiences are twisting me.
darev,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see that. I have acouple of memories that I won't share here that brought home to me just what a heartless bastard I can be if that's what protecting the offspring requires.