(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . I LOVE YOU... [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-20 The very first time I can remember the words, I love you came from my mother. My cousin, Miles died from cancer when he was about three-years old. My family took his death hard, especially my uncle and my father. Soon after Miles death my father began telling me more and more how much he loved me. I often wondered, did my dad know something about my future that I did not? Was I going to die soon like my cousin-Miles? Strangely as I write today, I remember the last time I spoke with my father and he told me he loved me. If I counted all the times my mother, my siblings and even my ex-wife told me they loved me combined it would not come close to the many times my father told me, he loved me. One day I received a phone call informing me my father had passed away. I dropped the phone and fell hard to the floor because I was suffering a major heart attack. I lay on the floor unable to catch my breathe and as I lay there crushed to the core I could hear my father’s voice one last time: “I love you.” Since my father’s death the words ‘I love you’ have taken on a much greater importance and power to me. I now understood the delicate existence we are all apart of; we never know when our last moments of life will be. Now, like my father I look upon the people most dear to me and I have this unquenchable desire to verbalize how I feel about them with just three words—I love you. I have never been to jail and it is only because of my father’s love. My father was good friends with the Sheriff who ran the county jail and my father arranged for me to spend about thirty-five minutes in lock up. The ruse was my father had a meeting with the Sherrif and the only safe place for me was to wait in an empty jail cell. Once my father and the Sheriff left me a really tough looking guy walked in front of my jail cell and he questioned me on why I was in jail. I told him I did nothing wrong and that I was just waiting for my father. He cursed and called me a liar. A second inmate asked me who I shot; this really troubled me because I was only ten-years old. “I didn’t shoot anybody!” Again, I was called a liar. A third inmate asked me if I stole a car. I shook my head as if to understand are all these men crazy? Not much later my father and the Sheriff returned and I did notice they had big smiles on their faces. My father asked me if I was alright. I could not wait to get out of that trap! Once outside my father asked if I was hungry and we got in the car and drove to a restaurant called Howard Johnson’s. We both took our seats and both ordered hamburgers, fries, and Coke. I saw my father pull out a hanky and wipe his eyes. He looked deep into my eyes and he began to speak slow and almost in a whisper. “Charlie, that place we just left is just a shit-hole if there ever was one. I’m telling you son, you never want to end up there. I hate that place. They feed you worse than a dog. Tell you when to go to the bathroom, when to eat, when to sleep and when to get up. Charlie, if you ever go to jail I will take all your stuff and put it on the front lawn. Me and your mother will not let you back into our house. Me and your mother can help you get anything you want, but stealing and robbing is not going to be tolerated. You understand me son?” I nodded yes but was in total shock. Not long after my father and I had lunch my best friend approached me and asked me to go for a ride with him in a car he had just stolen. I told him it was out of the question, but my friend pressed on and then he asked me if I was afraid. I told him I was afraid. My friend laughed and quickly drove off. Well, as you would have guessed my friend was stopped by the police and was arrested for stealing a car. Sadly, almost every childhood friend of mine has a police record. I really wish more fathers would tell their sons how much they love them and teach them that jail will destroy so many opportunities that lay before them. Fathers should tell their sons as often as they can how much they love them. Life becomes more beautiful for all concerned when we can simply say to our family and friends the simple words of, I LOVE YOU. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/20/2247680/-I-LOVE-YOU?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/