Father’s Day

He gave me his home-made Father’s Day present wrapped in last year’s birthday paper. The strained look on his face told me he wasn’t sure whether I’d like it.

After much effort, I managed to break through what seemed like metres of sticky tape and carefully unwrapped ‘the present’.

At first I wasn’t sure what it was. – A conglomeration of bits of timber offcuts, some rusty tinned fruit cans and lots of nails. Attached were some coloured plastic blocks which used to be part of his leggo set, until the dog chewed into them. “The Present”, even had wheels from his Mecano set.

I looked at it carefully without wanting to spoil the moment by asking what it was.  He said to me, “Dad, do ya think if we could put a motor into it, she’d take off and maybe even get to the moon”.

So! it was a spaceship, I reasoned. “Yes mate!” I replied, “I reckon she’d get to the moon all right”.

“Maybe you and I could go together Dad”, he said skipping off.  Probably in his mind he was already planning a new improved two seater model.

I called out after him, “Hey Son! thanks for the beaut Father’s Day present”.  He turned around and gave me a big smile and was off to find some more bits of timber from the heap under the house.

What’s left of the spaceship still resides on a shelf in my shed today. It’s good being a Father.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s life.

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