Dad? Was That Really You?

Before I was married, I thought my parents never did anything wild and crazy. After I married Zelda, stories never told before started finding their way to my ears. My parents never told me anything that they did wrong. Come to think of it, I do remember some of my dad's friends who would visit would talk about just how crazy my dad was. My dad would just smile and laugh a little giving us the impression of, "yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."

Now, my father has never shown himself to be anything other than a stern military man whose goal in life was to prepare his children for the future. Education, hard work, and common sense were strictly enforced. Don't let that scare you. My father loved us and had his own way of showing it. My father, my mother, my sisters, and I never hug each other. It's just something we don't do. In fact, I would feel uncomfortable giving my dad a hug. I don't know why. He just commands that kind of respect out of you.

That being said, A few weeks after Zelda and I were married, my mother told Zelda who eventually told me that one night during the war, my dad drank so much Jack Daniels that he decided to take a US helicopter for a joyride in the middle of the night. In order for his buddies to help him land, they had to flag him down using flashlights. He eventually landed the aircraft and was taken to go sleep off his intoxication. Fortunately, we had high ranking officers in the military so my dad got a simple slap on the wrist.

When I heard this, I said, "No way!" Zelda swore that that story was told to her by my mother. I decided to ask my father if this was true. When I asked him, he smiled and laughed a little giving me the impression of, "yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."