A letter from Daddy that made me cry

 Hi, Loralee Lass,                                                                                       5/15/2010

I'm sorry we did not get the chance to have lunch together before you left town.  I do hope your journey has been successful and that this finds you well and situated in your new living environment.  You may or may not have heard that your aunt Gail has been evicted from the place she has been living.  Evidently the security cameras caught her pushing another of the residents rather forcefully, so she was asked to move before Monday night. 

I have been thinking of your first days on this earth and how you and I established our relationship.  Just about a week after you were born, I put you and Pat on a plane in Syracuse, N.Y. to fly to Denver.  We had packed and shipped all our household goods from the place where we lived in Rome, N.Y. in order to move to my new assignment as a classroom teacher at Lowry AFB.  Your crib had been shipped so you slept between me and Pat on a pallet on the floor the last few nights.  After I put you all on the plane, Gay and I drove across the U.S. in my old VW Fastback.  You and Pat were to stay with my new boss in Denver until we arrived.  Then we would look for a place to live.  Your grandmommie also flew from Houston to Denver to help Pat with you since Pat was still fairly weak from childbirth and needed help.  It was a Monday evening when Gay and I arrived.  I finally found the place where you were staying and knocked on the door.  Of course there were greetings all around among the adults - I had never met my new boss, MSgt Garner, until that moment.  My mother was holding you and she said to me, "Paul, watch the way this child's eyes follow you as you move around." 

It was true.  You seemed to hone in on my voice and focus your eyes on me and my movements and not on anyone else.  Not only was it fascinating, it was very endearing and set you apart as a precious part of my life.  We did not stay with the Garners long, but found a couple of rooms in a very bad part of town to stay while we waited for base housing to come available.  Since we could not get our furniture delivered, you slept in a dresser drawer lined with a soft blanket from our bed and your own covers.  Every evening when I would come home from work, you'd perk up, and your eyes would focus toward where I was standing/talking with Pat or with Gay.  You would wait until I got to you...no crying, and I would pick you up and hold you in my arms and tell you how nice it was to see you again after being away for the day.  After I ate my supper, I would give you a bottle of milk, burp you and put you in your dresser drawer to sleep for the night.  I don't remember that you ever woke me, but you probably did...either me or Pat, most babies do.  But I do remember that you put an indelible impression on me with your eyes looking for me among all those making a sound in your sphere. 

Another story to add to your collection of being a perfect child in every respect!  I love you very much, my daughter.  Be good to yourself, and let me hear from you as soon as you can.

Your daddy,

Paul