Birthday Tribute to Daddy (part 2)

We had nice, large tables in the dining room of the Rockface Diner and since we weren't busy at 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon, it was a great place to do homework and school projects. My friends were invited to come to the diner to work on school projects as well and Daddy would feed them, too.

He felt school was extremely important and talked often of my going to college. I would have to work hard and save my money. My brother, with the help of a friend went to college in the 60's and Daddy really wanted that same opportunity for me. His plan was to buy me a car for my 16th birthday, with the understanding that I would continue with my education. When I was little I decided it was going to be a pink convertible and even cut out a picture of one for my scrapbook.

Weekends were difficult as Daddy worked 7 days. I always wished there was some way he could be home with me during the day. I don't know what we would have done, really, but it would be our decision and not one already made by this business of "work." One day stands out in my mind above all the rest. We awoke in the morning to a sudden snowfall. I was already dressed for school when the radio announced that school was closed. Daddy was ready to go to work and the snow was continuing to fall, heavily. I remember being a little nervous about Daddy driving to work and prayed that God would keep him safe. God kept him safe and brought him right back to me in a matter of just a few minutes. It seems that his car and others in front of him just couldn't make it up Aratoga Hill! It made no sense for him to keep on trying so he returned home and called the diner to talk to his workers. No one there wanted to try to venture home, though home was where they really wanted to be. He decided that if the day workers could make it in, the night workers could go home, if they could. If not, they could sub for the ones who couldn't make it at all. There would be no cook as this was Daddy's job but this worked out fine as there wasn't a whole lot of customers looking for dinner, anyway. Short order was the order for the day.

I got to keep my daddy all morning, something I had never done before! Usually, He skipped breakfast but he couldn't resist having pancakes with Cary, Mommy and me! He went to work in the early afternoon after the plows and sanders had taken care of the roads. Funny thing is I don't remember what we did all morning. I guess it was enough for me just to have him home!

I remember two times, though there were probably more, that Daddy found someone to take his place at the diner and took us on vacation in the springtime. It was absolutely thrilling for me to ride with him all the way to NJ, watching snow melt along the NYS Thruway near Kingston; the forsythia begin to bloom on the Garden State Parkway in Union and warm air would greet us on Werstville Rd. in Ringoes where he would spend the night with us at the farm of family friends. Sadly, he had to leave us there in the morning, so he could be back to work in time for the dinner hour but it was just one more time I got to have him almost to myself! He enjoyed his brief "daycation" with our friends, often commenting how he wished he could stay on the Hill and Drake Farm just a little longer. Sometimes he would come back to get us but usually, time and a replacement worker would be scarce so our friends, the Drakes or Aunt Jane and cousin Barb from the little river hamlet of Andalusia, PA; near Philadelphia...another lovely and delicious vacation destination, would drive us home a week or 10 days later. I loved our spring vacations but I loved my daddy more.

As I got older, times were changing. Progress was making it's way to our area and a 4 lane highway being built, literally by-passed the diner. In fact, they called it the Cairo "by-pass." Business dropped off as tourists in the summer time drove right past the road that lead to town. Long distance truckers just kept trucking, not even knowing the diner was around the bend on that little access road. Locals still came by and that was good, but not good enough and as business dwindled, so did our income. I was old enough to understand, but too young to do anything about it. My lunch money was kept in the change box in Daddy's desk drawer. I just took my quarter every morning; 35 cents when I was a senior. I also got an allowance each week. One day, I simply decided to use my allowance for lunch money and never said a word; ever and I realized there wasn't going to be a car for me when I turned 16.

to be continued