Voice On The Telephone

I always knew his name. It was one of the strangest I had ever heard. I still don't know what it means though. Must be a family name because it was passed down through three generations, and I haven't run into any others with it. Doesn't matter because even when the name didn't have a face, it was beautiful to me. He was too, although I hadn't seen him.

Fast forward to age eighteen, my first place, and my first telephone. The combination of those three items equaled the key to finding my mystery man. Being the inch-high private eye I have always been, I got my mark with no problems. It was strange at first, but we got past that real quick. The gift of gab is--well it's just that, a gift. When all else failed, we talked, and talked, and talked. We let it all hang out--the good, and the bad. We got over the past, enjoyed everyday, and pondered over our future through my marvelous telephone.

As much as I wanted to see his face, it's funny that I only ended up seeing it twice. First I met him a few years after the first phone call, during a family gathering. I was right; he was beautiful. He stood at the bottom of the staircase, with a smile just like mine. He wore a trucker hat, his skin had freckles, his hair was sandy-red, and he absent-mindedly stuffed his hands into his front jeans pocket just like me. He was beautiful. That's the image I try to hold of him. The next and last time I saw him was when he called me and told me he needed me. I flew home to hold his hand while he took his last breath. That was the last phone call and the last image of him; yet even still, he was beautiful.

It was 1992 when I made the first phone call, and 2003 when I made the last. In between the two, I can't count how many there were. I can say they were the best of my life and they were a lifetime's worth. I accomplished my childhood goal during that time: I saw his face. What happened that was more important was that I saw him on the inside. I saw him honestly, and I thank him for that. I love my telephone. I cherish the connection it brings to the outside world more than the internet, anyday.

Today, February 7, 2009 is his birthday. He would be 74 years old. Happy birthday, Reaber Wright III. Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Love,

Your Baby Girl