Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Father’s Day Memory

I think my dad was one of the most intelligent people I ever had a chance to meet.  Like almost all fathers and sons, we had our occasional problems, but I would be the first to say that he was a really special person.  I was, and am, proud to have been his son.

Rather than just sing his praises today, I thought I would relate a story told by a friend.

Honey and I had recently started dating.  Students at Stephen F. Austin College in Nacogdoches, we had taken a weekend trip to deliver a puppy to a cousin in Sherman, Texas.  On the way back to school, we stopped to visit the Brooks family, old family friends, in Lancaster.

Gus Brooks was head of a large advertising agency in Dallas, a Rice grad, handsome and outgoing, with an easy way about him that put you immediately at ease.  I think Honey fell for him on the spot.  We were sitting out back by the pool  when Gus told this story:

Mo {my dad – short for Melvin Otis} and I were driving in Houston one day when we were almost hit by a pickup truck that was speeding down the shoulder.  Your dad had a few things to say about that, and the next thing I know, the truck was stopped sideways in front of us and this huge guy got out.

He walked up to the driver’s side of the car, and I swear his belt buckle hit about mid-way up the window.

What did you call me.’ he yelled.

Mo looked up and said ‘Well, I called you a son of a bitch – but I didn’t know you were such a big son of a bitch.’

I thought we were both gonna die, but the guy just stood there a minute, then he started laughing, got back in his truck and left.”

 

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