THEN

My dad was:

A teacher,

marked up my English papers, endless lectures on Mesoamerica.

A gourmet cook,

chicken mushroom alfredo, tomato basil salad.

A craftsman,

the one who made his own Halloween costumes.

A movie lover,

the one who took us to see Back to the Future and The Goonies four times each in the theater.

A sentimentalist,

the one who framed every card we made him.

A husband,

someone who stood by his wife no matter where she was.

A parent,

the one who took care of us, woke us up for school on time, every day.