DAD AND ME! #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

My Dad was an Army man. When I was young, I would look at him with my big eyes, dapper in his olive greens. When he swung me up, I saw the world through his eyes. I would scream when he went away, for even then, I knew that he would be away for days. Mom would console me, but I would watch his figure recede, and point after him.

Dad was my first knight in shining armour. He taught me to love books, and bought me my first stamp album. When he was posted away from us, we would exchange exotic stamps of myriad countries. Maybe that is where I imbibed my love of history and geography.

 He also taught me to collect match labels, and it was amazing the varieties of labels I had, all carefully stuck in an album. He was extremely talented and once I recall him making a post-box for me for a fancy dress contest in school. He slaved over it, covered it with red paper, painted on all the details on it, and put it over my head. Only my face was outside and the whole effect was so authentic that it won me the first prize.

 Dad would sit by me, and help me with my sums. Math had always been a dreaded subject with me, but he drove the bogeyman away with his facile explanations.

He wrote the most beautiful letters to me, with nuggets of wisdom, little bits of advice, funny snippets and corny jokes that made them priceless. “Don’t worry about winning or losing!” he once wrote. “Life is all about participating, and above all, enjoying the ride.”

I did hope to inherit his love of drawing, his innate goodness and his ability to see the best of people around him.

When I was eighteen, he went away, and this time, I could not even scream. For he had moved on into another world, and all I had left were his wonderful letters, my stamp collection and a lifetime of precious memories.

I am participating in the February #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay challenge.

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