It was a beautiful day, but a little early for much wildlife, so after the turtle rescue in Torrance (Tam stopped and helped a poor fella get across busy 169), Dad pulled out his ever-present crossword puzzle and we set about trying to fill in some of the stumpers. (Mom rides up front and Tam usually drives on these little outings, so Dad & I had the backseat to ourselves for crossword pursuits).
Dad always has a puzzle or two on him, tucked in his shirt pocket along with a passel of papers with names, phone numbers, appointments and reminders. And a pen. A necktie is a requisite as well. We've seen him mow the lawn wearing a tie. He sat in the back seat with a pale blue tie clipped against a crisp dark blue shirt and his shades on and I was struck once again how much he looks like a retired cop.
Later, as we sat in Swiss Chalet chatting and enjoying our dinner, I watched his hands as he talked. They looked large on his thinning arms, heavy and gnarled, and I could see the spectre of age lurking near.
It struck me that a franchised chicken dinner and a crossword puzzle was exactly how I wanted to spend this Father's Day. It may not sound like much, but in that moment, it was perfect.
