2005-12-11

I Heart My Dad

It's funny... if it weren't for a string of bad luck I'd never have had this time with my father. We didn't get along for most of my teenage years. Whilst that's somewhat normal for fathers and sons, we excelled at it. Once we didn't speak for six months and it was blissfully quiet!

Yet here we are: both single, both with annoying habits, both mellowed with age, alone and together. We've had three arguments in three months: he's insensitive and I over-react but these days we clear the air quickly and there's been no lasting fallout from any of our little donnybrooks. He's an old man with ailing health and I don't know how much longer he'll be around so I wouldn't swap this period of my life for anything.

This picture was taken at R.N.A.S. Stretton near Manchester when my father was 19 years old. It's in a frame on a table at home next to my graduation photo and people often remark on the family resemblance. After training, my father became a petty officer on H.M.S. Theseus and had the oh-so-original nickname "Sparks" because he worked on electrics and electronics. After seven years he used his navy skills in other jobs, including maintaining the radar at Bristol airport.

When he's not moaning like an old woman, I'm rather proud of my dad. He makes a mean cup of tea and tonight we'll watch Batman Begins together.

4 Comments:

Blogger Trundling Grunt said...

Relationships with fathers are a bit odd aren't they? Mine wasn't as argumentative (if not talking can be an argument) as yours, but he was a very remote figure in my childhood. As I've seen him with grandchildren I realise that he probably has never really liked children that much.

But they have memories and experiences that are so different to ours that will be lost if we don't talk to them now while we can. The whole war period for example, or getting back afterwards. What must it have been like? What was it like having us wandering round the house and testing their patience something chronic? You don't say when your dad was on the Theseus? - was that war-time?

00:34  
Blogger thisismarcus said...

It would've been roughly 1950-56 though on a couple of other ships and some bases too. Was your father in the services too?

If you're up for a bit of am-psych I'd say that his divorce got his head out of the sand and forced him to engage with the modern world. Health aside, he's happier now than I've ever seen him. Rock on!

00:54  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A very handsome young man....

I like my dad. My mom is a different story.

15:15  
Blogger thisismarcus said...

Thank you for your latest compliment. It's mother's turn next so hang on to that rage for another day or two, Kat!

15:29  

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