Today is my dad's 72nd birthday and the old Fart doesn't look it, he is tougher than his balding little grey hairs show. He survived a rough childhood which he says had him working at the age of 13 to provide his own money for eating and smoking, which he started at that age (my paternal grandparents were around, but my grandpa liked his partying and there were 6 kids in the house, not counting some half sisters ole Gramps left back in California from a first and second wife who he outlived).
My dad was a man because that is what you did back in the day. He served his country when it was time in Vietnam, then came back and luckily for us, hooked up with my mom who they had known for years as his best friend dated my older aunt. When I came around, I am sure unexpectedly, they got married and moved it on to Corpus Christi where he helped support my mom finish her degree to become a teacher by driving and delivering ice all around Corpus Christi bay. These were some of the stories he told, which I always found hard to believe because the man gets lost everywhere we go without my mom helping him with directions, yet he drove trucks all his life for work.
After some adventures, and an overnight locked up for walking barefoot after one night of too many drinks, they headed back to Crystal City and he proceeded to find work driving trucks (there was a weird period where he was like a teacher aid when I was in elementary) in the oil fields and then in the 90s when the oil fields appeared to have dried up got on the long distance driving. I guess living like this made it ok in my head to live without Wife during the week as she works in La Pryor, as a side note.
He finally retired when he started having trouble with diabetes and has been living a lazy old man's life, as he should. He has had to fight through some ailments and he keeps coming out on top. I am pretty sure it is because mom keeps his butt in line. Lately, it was his kidneys failing, but after stopping all the extra painkillers he had been prescribed, he is doing better and the kidneys are working better. He is getting a run of tests done this week, here's hoping for a clean bill of health so we have him around for a few more years. I love you Dad, Happy Birthday.
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