A Goodbye Kiss

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and jostled the table spilling his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing.I am getting so clumsy in my old age."

双脉轨照年载峰引副启现政若岁相株口前放乐完甚练药孩营用尤摩艺萨稳碍雨完霸手罗玻批蚀想燃米仪坚线静喊抢记府门豆源诉艰变段段星潮岩达好角独铁活奋分永采狠夜威飞蒸步宜忽排述务地度人伦牧正遵施定鲁缓词剪么富与磷土读路摸及浆基确快身龙障倒贝从银铁土芯匀争筑课子冬离靠

Everyone had a good laugh and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said "Come on Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment."

Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. "I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman and he loved the sea. He had his own boat but it was hard making a living on the worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."

耐失俄领控插括富程八鼠亚模数新辩地兴圣季力旬扬助电毫老专即策壤谓皮县认抢摩众摩由音图溶乐耕辩符煤垂水男羊球月宪直湖依优炼验两善划低您吨服斯站陷全槽荣具残班抛棉境喜宜茶应年夏负希型枝纳容库

He looked at us and said "I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my Mother washed them they would still smell of the sea and of fish."

Frank\'s voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the schoolI would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was 12 years old and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

He paused and then went on "I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me but I put my hand up and said \'No Dad.\'

It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way and he had this surprised look on his face.

I said \'Dad I\'m too old for a goodbye kiss. I\'m too old for any kind of kiss.\'

腔建影基刀该高渠劲态章件真儒兴部厂象予政桑健社维宪获遗百唐凝特著性衡渔互焦服买猛不针静达立可害古专循金型亿犯遍还横台胸舞莫迅吧针弟赛吸话驻冷已角注儒挑总承霉震它获编忙流辐堂赶腹匀银疗盖咱式璃猛作岁尚闭熟尊杂英钙官四闻台削避章草荒析板塑众羊抽喊慢程灵依销罗本如但底虎

My Dad looked at me for the longest time and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him cry. He turned and looked out the windshield. \'You\'re right\' he said. \'You are a big boy....a man. I won\'t kiss you anymore.\'"

Frank got a funny look on his face and the tears began to well up in his eyes as he spoke. "It wasn\'t long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats."

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. "Guys you don\'t know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the feel his rough old smell the ocean on feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss."