Rollin' In My Six Fo: Happy Birthday, James
- By David Oliver
- Published 03/10/2008
My story isn't unlike a lot of other people's who come from a single parent household. My father wasn't around when I was growing up. Not because he was a deadbeat dad, but simply because he was no longer alive. My father was the kind who liked to get around back in the day and as a result, I have a number of half brothers and sisters.
March 7th would have been my father's 80th birthday. That fact barely hit me because I never typically even thought about it. Why should you commemorate the birthday of someone you never knew? As far as I know, he wasn't even around to celebrate my one and only birthday that we were both alive to share, not that I wouldn't have remembered much of the experience anyway.
If you do the math, you'll see that I came along fairly late in my father's life. I have no illusions that we would have had a great relationship. My brother James is the only person still living whom I know of who remembers what our father was like. I wasn't even 2 when he passed, and most of the people I know of who knew him are no longer with us. From what I understand though, he wasn't much of a dad to my brother or our sisters, both of whom sadly are no longer with us either.
Still, like any of us, I'm curious as to where it is I come from. And I lament the fact that I never got to know him, for good or bad. I know that he was married three times. I know that he served in Korea. I know that he was a ladies man, frequently at the expense of said marriages. I know that he could have a vicious temper but was generally an enjoyable man to be around. He liked to go out and drink and smoke and club. I know he was a police officer. I know that my mother loved him but I don't know if it was mutual.
In the end, this is just a little note from me to him that he may have always been out of sight, but wasn't always out of mind. Happy 80th, James.
March 7th would have been my father's 80th birthday. That fact barely hit me because I never typically even thought about it. Why should you commemorate the birthday of someone you never knew? As far as I know, he wasn't even around to celebrate my one and only birthday that we were both alive to share, not that I wouldn't have remembered much of the experience anyway.
If you do the math, you'll see that I came along fairly late in my father's life. I have no illusions that we would have had a great relationship. My brother James is the only person still living whom I know of who remembers what our father was like. I wasn't even 2 when he passed, and most of the people I know of who knew him are no longer with us. From what I understand though, he wasn't much of a dad to my brother or our sisters, both of whom sadly are no longer with us either.
Still, like any of us, I'm curious as to where it is I come from. And I lament the fact that I never got to know him, for good or bad. I know that he was married three times. I know that he served in Korea. I know that he was a ladies man, frequently at the expense of said marriages. I know that he could have a vicious temper but was generally an enjoyable man to be around. He liked to go out and drink and smoke and club. I know he was a police officer. I know that my mother loved him but I don't know if it was mutual.
In the end, this is just a little note from me to him that he may have always been out of sight, but wasn't always out of mind. Happy 80th, James.
