My son Jeremy stopped by yesterday and today at our request for assistance.
He’s almost thirty-three years old. He’s a husband and dad, he’s got a degree in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly and years of experience as a professional theater technical director. He’s a former Disney Imagineer and is currently a lighting and special effects specialist for the Disneyland Hotel.
I, on the other hand, am the unanimously acknowledged mechanical idiot of the family. Give me a picture of a hammer and three to five minutes of non-pressured peace and quiet and I’ll give you a fifty-fifty chance of correctly selecting the business end of the hammer.
I’m a smart guy. When I was eighteen, forty years ago, I tested for entry into the Air Force and scored above 95% on all areas except mechanical. I got 65% on that one and believe me, it wasn’t much tougher than the hammer problem.
All we needed Jeremy to do was install a new garbage disposal and help Carolann with her Christmas decorations and tree lighting. (Yes, we start early. Don’t bug me about that. We like Christmas.)
And so, he did.
While Jeremy lay under our sink with a crescent wrench (I’m just making up these tool-thingy details, you know,) I sat on the floor and talked just to keep him company. When he put the lights on Carolann’s Christmas tree we listened to the Beatles’ Abbey Road album together and discussed the group’s history, strength and weaknesses.
During the Beatles Anthology early years recordings, I scrubbed the kitchen with bleach and ammonia.
When the work came to an end and he had to leave we hugged and smiled, having enjoyed a special father-son day of doing chores together. Except now, in some ways which don’t bother me in the least, my son is my dad and I am his son.
What goes around comes around and when you still enjoy each other’s company there’s no need for defining roles.
Dad; Son.
We know who we are.
© Copyright 2009, Dave Williams. All rights reserved.
I love this story. More than that, I like picturing the events – you and your son chatting – and Carolann getting her decorations out – and then having the Williams house all lighted up and with a functioning garbage disposal in time for the holidays. These are the kinds of details that fill our family scrapbooks. Your family is lucky to have a writer among them to chronicle their memories.
Ah, Dave. I love the way you talk!
For those that caught it. he did not mix the Clorox and Ammonia together. The Clorox was in the sink and the Ammonia was in the Pine-sol on the floor.
He maybe an engineering idiot but he isn’t completely stupid.
I WAS a little worried about that, but now my heart is full of glee, knowing he didn’t blow the place up.
Hugs,
Tom