Dad in suspenders. How cute ...
So, as Dad drinks the oh-so-authentic vino of Italia, I send out a hearty salute (spoken loudly in Italian) …
Somewhere, nine hours from me, he’s gearing up for dinner with relatives in Rome. There’s a party tonight for Aunt Maria and her husband, who celebrate 50 years of married bliss. Everyone together now …
That’s amore!
Dad was born in Hackensack, N.J., on Oct. 10, 1946. His father was a military man, a Naval officer who was gone a lot, no thanks to that pesky World War II. That storied career would set the future for Dad’s own military service aboard ships and repeat history with his long-term absences around the Vietnam War.
What I remember my grandmother telling me about Dad as a child:
- He was precocious, always playing pranks and getting into trouble
- He loved animals and constantly snuck home critters, tame and wild. Snake, anyone?
- He loved to play act and would take that to the stage in college. Who knew?
Dad fell in love with my mom in her teens. She held him back for several years before saying “I do” when they were both 21. God help them for sticking it out for the past 40 … whew.
So, I’ll drink one for you tonight, Dad. I know the birthday was actually yesterday, but you were several time zones away, so I’m struggling to stay on track!
Buon compleanno, papa. Cheers!!
