seeing dad

I was 14 when this happened.

In Idaho at that time a kid could get a drivers license at 14, and cousin Sam could get it for you when she got his. No test, no photograph, just $2 cash for two years. But I did not get my license until I was 16. I wanted to drive, but there just was no real reason. School and work were within walking distance.

After that early morning phone call, arrangements were made for some one to look after my sister who was 10 and half brother who was 3. Mom wanted me to go with her on the trip to California. Even if I could not drive I could keep her company, help keep her awake and alert and help where I could.

Dad had a “bathtub” Nash at that time. They were the target of a lot of jokes, but they were pretty decent transportation for that time.

When I first saw him, swathed in bandages, with his eyes peering through the windings of gauze, I was horrified. It was one of those unforgettable moments. He seemed to have friends there in that town, because we picked him up at a house not at the hospital or a hotel.

Dad was born and grew up in San Jose, not too far away, so it is highly likely that there were people there that he knew.

I don't remember the trip home or much of the rest of it.

But I will never forget the horror of seeing him that first time.