Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I would like to dedicate this blog entry to my best friend..even though I am 100% sure that this friend has never, ever placed his two eyes on this blog, he still is my best friend. That man is my father.

Mr. Mobley turns 60 years old today, and if he ever answers his phone, I will be taking the drive up to Baltimore to treat him to a meal. As I told my son when he turned 13 last Friday, everyone has milestone birthdays. There's 13, 18, 21, 30, 35, 40 and then 50. After 50, you make a big deal of 60, and then after that, every year is a big deal, and much be celebrated as such, and that's exactly what I plan to do.

An ex of mine called me a "daddy's boy" one time, and I really can't disagree with that. When I was younger, I used to cry when my father went out of town, and I'd be right there at the garage when he got back. When I played basketball and ran track in high school, I really couldn't get settled in until I looked in the crowd, and saw him give me the thumbs up. When I was in college, our relationship changed a bit. I was in college trying to find myself, he was getting divorced from my mother and remarried to some woman who was an ass (but she worked for an airline, so I got free buddy passes to fly wherever), and we drifted a bit. We still talked often, but the depth of our conversations was affected a bit.

Since college, we have gotten close, and I'd venture to say that since I've gotten in a serious relationship, we've gotten even closer. I lean on him for advice, I joke around about things, and I find myself listening to his issues even more, which is how I think the evolution of a father-son relationship should go. The last step in this relationship comes in the form of me taking care of him, but I hope we have a ways to go before we get there.

So, daddy(yes I call him that at age 35), if you're reading this (I know you aren't), I would like for you to a)pick up the damn phone so I can make that hour drive in the pouring rain to see you b)Have a happy 60th birthday and c)know that your son Rashad loves you. I would also like to apologize to my brother Jamal, who probably that HE was my best friend, and not my father. Sorry man..we may not be best friends, but in the words of Gwendolyn Brooks, "we real cool".

Ain't Too Proud To Beg - The Temptations
my father's favorite song, from his favorite group

3 comments:

paul1263 said...

so cool you are right ,i miss my father and havent seen him for a very long time ,i am the black sheep of my family ,married the wrong girl who died and left me alone

Donna said...

I enjoyed reading this post.

Jazzbrew said...

Happy Birthday to your Dad... I hope he picked up the phone and got his free meal.