Dear Daddy-5

 March 22, 2021

Dear Daddy, 

It's been 3 months since I have seen you.  Since I sat on the concrete outside of your building, both wearing masks, bing 6 feet apart.  You were sitting in the sun because you were doing better.  Remember, the fever was down, you had some energy, you were making faces at Neal?  I remember it.  That was the last day I had with you, but I saw you today.  

Mebane had a big fire call this morning.  The trucks came rolling by my classroom window around 9am.  They took their main engine, their ladder truck and a brush truck.  They were going somewhere in a hurry that's for sure.  It made me cry.  Just seeing it go by.  Hearing the sirens.  Knowing that if it was Sweps, it would have been you. 

It reminded me of all the times the pager would go off and you'd start running.  Running across the yard to get to the station.  Or ow you would strategically back your truck in so you could get there even faster, or just beat Kevin up the road.  The years of watching those light blink on the truck or listening to the pager figuring out where you were going, I can hear it and see it. 

Knox still loves fire trucks.  The boys at the department have been great!  They still let him sit in the trucks, blow the horns and turns on the lights.  I think he gets special treatment because of you.  I hope he wants to be a firefighter, he pretends to put out fires all the time.  He is so much fun!  

Until the next time a caravan of fire trucks roll by my window, with sirens blasting and horns blowing allowing for another memory of you to fill my mind...  

Be Particular, 

Me