Father's Day this week
As a sort of spiritual successor to all my Mother's Day posts, this time I get to talk about Father's Day, or in this case, Father's Week.
Just like with Mother's Day, the book store I walk through to get to/from work has made it obvious for several weeks now (not many other commercial holidays around this time of year it seems) that Father's Day is coming. NZ likes to celebrate its dads on the first Sunday of September. With that knowledge in my head when I went out for lunch last week, and then while chowing-down on a salad soon afterwards, I thought: Hmm, my dad was right; this place ain't so bad. I wouldn't mind taking him out to here for lunch.
That line of thought then led to an idea for something to do for Father's Day which, with help from the rest of the family, we're putting into effect as of today (Monday). That is, for every weekday this week in the lead-up to Father's Day, one of us will be taking dad out and shouting him lunch.
I've been assigned today and tomorrow.
OK, so it isn't anything super spectacular - it's 5 free lunches, although just 1 free lunch is valued pretty highly in my family - but with the responses I got today from both him and a stranger when I took him out to lunch for one of my designated days, I'm starting to think I've chosen the right Father's Day gift.
Lunch today was at a Chinese fast food restaurant which both my dad and I frequent for their noodle soups (often the wonton roast pork noodle soup). My dad ended-up getting one of the noodle soups, while I went to get a 4-choice meal: fried rice, veges, sweet & sour pork and lemon chicken, nom nom nom. Because we went down separate lines to get our meals, I just handed him some money so he could get whatever while I went and filled my 4-choice plate. The man behind the counter must've noticed me handing my dad some money because when I went to order my meal, he asked me if that man was my dad.
Guy behind counter: Is that your dad?
Me: Hmm? *looks towards where he's pointing* Oh, yup.
Guy: That's very nice of you, taking your dad out to lunch.
Me: Heh, thanks. It's part of his multi-part Father's Day present.
I recounted the 4-line conversation to my dad this as we ate our lunch, and he said that the same guy asked him when he was ordering if I was his son. It elicited a bit of a smile from him as he said this, a sort of "That's right, my boy is taking me out to lunch, bitches!" smile.
I think I also saw some pride in that smile.
Not having been a parent myself (*shudder*), I wasn't very good at reading that emotion. But if the movies I've grown-up on are any indication, I think I've just done something which made him glad that he started a family, and ended-up with this family in particular.
Which, as his son, makes me feel pretty good too, because I've been trying for an eternity to make-up for that awesome sound system of his that I destroyed when I was less than 4 years old :P