I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I called my parents to ask if they’d watch my dog for me. My mother told me that she was going out of town on a business trip, but that my father would be more than happy to spend the weekend with Kobe.
Now, I’ll be the first one to say that my father is exceptionally capable, brilliant, loving, and amusing. He was the one who taught me to fish and shoot when I was a little girl, and the one who always drove the exciting car and wore cowboy boots and a matching hat. But he’s a dad, not a mom, and certain everyday tasks related to raising children are a mystery to him.
I remember one picture day back in elementary school when my mother was out of town; my father spent ages torturing my long, blond hair into a suitable style, a style that caused my mother to look at the resultant photos and immediately schedule a retake. We’d also have fun dinners that involved dishes like tuna fish casserole with rice, clam chowder, or Spam, entrees that even impoverished orphans would veto. Life when mom was not around was always an adventure in improvisation.
But at the same time, my father can add a certain charm to an otherwise boring life. You might prefer your dinner at a reasonable six o’clock in the evening; his kitchen doesn’t serve until ten thirty at night. You may believe that the kitchen counter is for storing mail and perhaps some kitchen implements; he believes that power tools are most comfortable next to the stove. But his way of doing things can actually be better than yours – maybe you didn’t think you were in the mood for scotch in the middle of the afternoon, but when he hands you a glass, you immediately reconsider.
I imagine that when I return from my trip and take Kobe home, he’ll miss life with my father just a little. Maybe my mother takes him out for two hour walks and makes certain he gets his little treats at the right time, but my father, well, he’ll make the dog a steak, pour him a glass of wine, and show him the new gun holster that just came in the mail. And that’s good, because Kobe needs some excitement in his life.