Kid Memories

I swung back and forth, back and forth.  The old swing set creaked and it was a warm summer afternoon.

I was waiting for our Dad.  I know that each swing forward allowed me to see around the corner of the little house and look north along the blue gravel driveway.

I think my sister was with me in the other swing.  We were quiet, not talking much.  Just swinging and waiting. Glancing up the driveway with each forward swing.  
We were barefoot and had old jean cut offs on.  It was hot and sometime in the mid summer.

I'm pretty sure that my mom and Grandma were in the little house. Our two room cottage that we lived in each summer.  We had no TV and no hot water.  But we had what I thought was the neatest place on earth.

Creak.
Creak.

No one yet.

We heard a car coming down the gravel road and increased our swings.  We could hear vehicles a long way off as we were so remote and it was so quiet.

The car slowed, but went on past the driveway. It made the sharp bend and headed off towards Halfmoon Lake.

It was not the one we were looking for.  I think my sister asked something about how long did it take Dad to drive to our cottage.
I didn't know, but we knew he was coming and we hadn't seen him since school let out.
We were watching for a yellow Dodge convertible.  Dad's car.

And we kept swinging.  The drive from the Chicago area to where took at least 8 or more hours to drive.  I don't recall if the interstate had been built yet.

My sister and I conversed quietly.  Grandpa was taking a nap and Grandma and my mom were doing something in the cottage.  Maybe they were doing the crossword puzzle on the linoleum table.

Birds sang over head and time kept passing.  Time. 

We kept swinging.

Off in the distance we heard a car horn.  We jumped from our swings and stood in the grass.  That was Dad's horn. He usually honked when he was still a half mile or so from the cottage.

I recall that he had hooked up extra horns in his car to make it sound like a train.  

Dust rose in the distance.  I don't know what my sister felt exactly.  But I was excited.  I hadn't seen dad in what seemed like ages.  But he was coming to see us and he was having a vacation with us.

And I was excited.

Soon the banana colored rag-top slowed at the end of the blue driveway and slowly turned in.  

I stood still.  Dad.
My Dad.   

Funny how I thought of this tonight on such a cold and chilly winter evening.
But it was a nice warm thought.

I miss my dad.
Still miss you.