Froggy's

Bein' a Dad is about the most precious job a man can have.  That's one li'l party that rates in the top ten down Memory Lane. 

But I gotta say, that before this particular night, all the roadwork was laid better than any runway extension at JFK.  Yessiree Bob, there's years, in fact, years of angst, tears, regret, an' hard work, all topped with with a thick slatherin' of Love.  Can't be Dad without love, and you can't love without fallin' down and gettin' dirty now and again.  Heck, there's many a time I failed.  But, Lordy, Lordy, I think there's more good days than bad, when you peer back through the briars to the head of the path.

It was party time in Dover.  Some friends needed to complete a foursome for dinner, and I got the call.  "Let's do dinner; we've a friend in from Germany, but she needs a 'date.'" 
"Well, Ok.  I'll oblige...I've a notion to break bad an' it might as well be with y'all."  
"We want to stop at Froggy's for a drink first." 
"Sound's great to me," so off we go.  I've got the biggest vehicle, so I pick 'em up, and we're sittin' at the bar ordeirn' drinks before the motor even got hot. 

An empty stomach and alcohol are just right for startin' off a calm, peaceable night out with friends and a good meal.  As Bill Clinton always starts off a comment..."Let me say this..." It was a long time 'fore I left that bar stool; a looong time; swimmy headed time.  It was feel good time for Phil, and I'm a Steve Martin friendly type of guy when my mind gets thrown outta gear.  Plumb happy, I am. 

For some reason, I get the notion to call my boys.  Have never set down with them and had a beer...never.  Strange as it may seem, we didn't keep alcohol in the house.  It's just not a menu item.  Never had it around when I was a kid, and didn't see any need in havin' it around for my own younguns.  Must be the Baptist in me.  Not for nothin', but one son bein' classified in the alcoholic category didn't help.  Needless to say that happened not at home, and I spent a lot of time not understandin' it all, but tryin' my damndest to fix it, but to no avail.  As it was and is, it is his to control; no one else's.  Tonight, Mike was the first call.
"Son, come on down to Froggy's an' have a drink with your Dad.  In fact, you don't have a hair on your hind end, if you don't." 
Then I called Aaron with the same message.  To my knowledge, neither boy had ever seen their father take a drink.  I had no idea they'd come, but I sure hoped so, because this was an opportunity I'd long, long awaited; just to sit and have a beer with my sons. 

Once I'd made the calls, I then went right back to partyin' and mixin' with folks around the place.  There wasn't a soul there I missed that night.  I was probably the oldest one there too.  The friends I was with were the same age as my children, as were 75% of the people in Froggy's that night.  I'm sittin' there with my 'date' just a cuttin' up a smidgeon, and havin' a good laugh, when I sense someone beside me; it's Mike. 
"Dad, are you all right?  What are you doin'?"
"Aw hush Son and have a beer."
"Naw, I don't think I will."
"Nope, we're puttin' all that behind us.  Don't lie to me and say you're not drinkin'.  Have one with me."  And he does.  We tap the necks of those bottles together, hug each other manlike, and sit an chit chat for a while.  Before long, Aaron arrives, and we go through the same 'quiz and have a beer' offer, and the three of us are, simply put, enjoyin' ourselves. 

But kinda like returnin' home to your parents on that once or twice a year homebound journey, in five minutes, we're caught up!  Must be a man thing, 'cause women never finish fillin' in the months on end of adventures that happened since the last visit.  Me 'an the boys run outta conversation soon, so I'm off an' runnin'.  I just happened to have a camera with me that night, and there's a lot of single women there that need their picture took, and I need to be in it with 'em.  Why?  Lord only knows, but there were several pictures that night and it was not purty tryin' to explain 'em all to the SheCoon, when she came back off her business trip.  Again..."Let me say this..." I'm not on a short tether, but there's no need to tempt Jesus either.  I even dance with most of these women, and there's pictoral proof of that no-no too.  Another man thing I don't completely grasp.

As the night wore on, so did my alcohol consumption.  However, in all my years, I've never been so drunk that I wasn't aware of my surroundings.  That doesn't mean I could negotiate 'em all that well, but I always had an eye out for trouble, or not, always with the option of keepin' clear of it.  But this night, my eyes were on my sons.  Once Dad left the bar stool and started makin' his rounds, Mike and Aaron posted themselves about the room.  It turned out this was "their hangout."  They knew the owner, and many of the patrons.   Wherever I'd go, I'd catch a glimpse of them watchin' me; watchin' Dad.  At that moment, the roles reversed for the first time in our lives.  Wow!  They're lookin' after me; protectin' me!  This memory puts water in my eyes every time I recall it.  Even now, the emotion wells deep inside as I realize the Love I freely gave my sons had gone to bud and multiplied.  Sweet Jesus, but it is a wonderful feelin' to look on a bumper crop of Love that you sowed on "new grouud." 

As friendly as I was, they did sense it was time to circle the wagons a tad closer.  They got with me when I neared the bar close in on one of their friends.  This young fellow was leanin' on the bar talkin' to friends, when I spied the opportunity I always sought...to goose!  Forgive me Lord, but I was taught this trick way too early in life.  So early, if fact, that it was engrained in me, just like eatin' breakfast or goin' to church on Sunday.  It was the natural thing to do.  When most least expectin' it....and so help me God, if a feller is bent over in arms reach of me, I'm gonna check his oil.  Yessiree, and Mike an' Aaron "saw the look."  Heck, I thought I'd passed this along to them too, but it just never too hold.  Anyhow, as soon as my arm shot out, thumb in the ready, each one of them grabbed me from both sides sayin' "No Dad.  Not here, not him!"  They actually had to wrestle me down.  It's akin it to a cow kickin'; once she's drawed that foot back, you can guarantee it's gonna connect with somethin' 'sides clean air.  I have never been stopped mid-goose, but they managed, God bless 'em.  He was a right good size feller, but part of the art of goosin' is duckin' the swing that follers.

I was just wallerin' drunk by now and needin' to be somewhere other than in a public venue.  I herded up my crowd to load 'em up in the van an' head home. 
"Where's your keys Dad?"
"Right cheer Son." an' as soon as they jingled, they're snatched outta my hands in their final act of kindness that night...to see that I made it safe into the arms of Morpheus without drivin' home drunk. 

Mike, Aaron, I love you.