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Member
A little background...
My mother had been an invalid for the better part of six years. She was a type 2 diabetic who had suffered a series of strokes between her late 50's and well in to her 60's. Dementia set in as a result, or so, the doctors believed. For the last 6 years my dad had taken care of my mother at night while a nurse took care of her during the day. He still works at the age of 75. I think he always will. But because of his schedule with my mother he had never seen his grand daughter play fastpitch. Sure, he's seen the pictures and heard the stories but he had never witnessed it.
March was not a good month. My dad, at 75, finds out he has a food allergy that is causing him great pain and after all these years he must go on a glutton free diet. My mother passed away in her sleep soon after he found out. My dad, who had been a faithful and dutiful husband for all 30+ years of marriage now found himself with a void in his life. He didn't have to bath my mother. He didn't have to change her feeding tubes any more. He didn't have to check her blood sugar and administer insulin...even though she couldn't speak any more or even acknowledge that she knew who we were, he didn't have anybody to talk to anymore, either....
...then came softball season. My dad got to see his grandchild play for the first time at the end of March. He's been hooked ever since. He's become a sponsor of the 10U Static team she plays for. While not being the best player on the circuit or the best catcher around he enjoys watching her play and it has helped to fill the void...
...now, I gave you all of this background because, one, it was therapeutic for me. Secondly, it was needed because you needed to know that, while my dad has not lived under a rock for the last decade, he never got out of the house, either...
Saturday at Expressway Park:
My DD is catching her second game in a row in the heat. We had an injury and we had to move some players around and she put on the gear and got the job done. My dad is sitting on the bleachers behind the backstop and watching the action. In the third inning, he disappears. I assumed he just went to the bathroom or went to find shade. two innings later he is not back and I am a little concerned. It was 90 degrees and he is 75...but I'm an assistant coach and I'm not going to leave the dugout just yet, either. During a break I call his cell phone. No answer. I call at the next half inning break...he answers.
"where are you???"
"I had to go to the john....and I'm getting one of these walking taco things"
I pause...I'm thinking 'can he eat that with his allergy??'
then I hear him ask the concession stand worker "What kind of shell do you use for that"
I hang up the phone. My dad has never had a walking taco before. He doesn't even know what it is but he knows he can have corn chips and beef so he's going for it.
10 minutes later he's back in his seat at the game.
I look over and he waves me to come over to him.
"Those walking tacos are pretty darn good!"
"I'm writing this story down on the OFC website this week"
so...there it is...a new lover of the much fabled, much talked about 'Walking Taco'.
Al
10U Static Assistant.
My mother had been an invalid for the better part of six years. She was a type 2 diabetic who had suffered a series of strokes between her late 50's and well in to her 60's. Dementia set in as a result, or so, the doctors believed. For the last 6 years my dad had taken care of my mother at night while a nurse took care of her during the day. He still works at the age of 75. I think he always will. But because of his schedule with my mother he had never seen his grand daughter play fastpitch. Sure, he's seen the pictures and heard the stories but he had never witnessed it.
March was not a good month. My dad, at 75, finds out he has a food allergy that is causing him great pain and after all these years he must go on a glutton free diet. My mother passed away in her sleep soon after he found out. My dad, who had been a faithful and dutiful husband for all 30+ years of marriage now found himself with a void in his life. He didn't have to bath my mother. He didn't have to change her feeding tubes any more. He didn't have to check her blood sugar and administer insulin...even though she couldn't speak any more or even acknowledge that she knew who we were, he didn't have anybody to talk to anymore, either....
...then came softball season. My dad got to see his grandchild play for the first time at the end of March. He's been hooked ever since. He's become a sponsor of the 10U Static team she plays for. While not being the best player on the circuit or the best catcher around he enjoys watching her play and it has helped to fill the void...
...now, I gave you all of this background because, one, it was therapeutic for me. Secondly, it was needed because you needed to know that, while my dad has not lived under a rock for the last decade, he never got out of the house, either...
Saturday at Expressway Park:
My DD is catching her second game in a row in the heat. We had an injury and we had to move some players around and she put on the gear and got the job done. My dad is sitting on the bleachers behind the backstop and watching the action. In the third inning, he disappears. I assumed he just went to the bathroom or went to find shade. two innings later he is not back and I am a little concerned. It was 90 degrees and he is 75...but I'm an assistant coach and I'm not going to leave the dugout just yet, either. During a break I call his cell phone. No answer. I call at the next half inning break...he answers.
"where are you???"
"I had to go to the john....and I'm getting one of these walking taco things"
I pause...I'm thinking 'can he eat that with his allergy??'
then I hear him ask the concession stand worker "What kind of shell do you use for that"
I hang up the phone. My dad has never had a walking taco before. He doesn't even know what it is but he knows he can have corn chips and beef so he's going for it.
10 minutes later he's back in his seat at the game.
I look over and he waves me to come over to him.
"Those walking tacos are pretty darn good!"
"I'm writing this story down on the OFC website this week"
so...there it is...a new lover of the much fabled, much talked about 'Walking Taco'.
Al
10U Static Assistant.
