I’m enjoying this narrative-streak, so let us continue with a tale about one of my favorite people, my father.
I’ve actually been thinking about this one quite a bit, because I had a hard time remembering specific stories about him. Sure, there are plenty of moments to remember, and mannerisms, and general descriptions of the man he was, but aside from the handful of stories that get passed around my family, it’s hard to recall specific instances worthy of a story arc. But, I did think of one that I particularly liked, so I thought I’d share.
My dad used to be a projectionist for the Lincoln Center Film Society. Now, I don’t know if it was because of this, or just a general love of film, but he was constantly taking me to the movies. High brow, low brow, shoot ‘em up, talk it out, whatever. We saw a lot of stuff. The few times we went just the two of us, I remember fondly. One such time was when we went to go see “The Empire Strikes Back” at the Jerry Lewis Cinema (RIP JLC).
I must have been 4 or 5, so my memory of the movie is kind of fuzzy (well, that screening anyway. I can pretty much recall every frame of that movie from subsequent viewings). I remember not really following the plot, but really loving the explosions and the running and yelling (I still love the yelling). And of course, I remember one of the most infamous scenes in that film (and possibly of all time), when Darth Vader turns to the monopodic Luke Skywalker and says,
“Luke, I am your father.” and then follows it up with, “And together, we can rule the galaxy as father and son.”
I thought that was the greatest moment in my life (thus far). My name was associated with the overseeing of an entire galaxy, and although I had no concept of space, time or distance, I knew it must have been pretty big, especially for a guy with such an awesome moniker. My dad, seeing the giddiness on my face, turned and smiled his huge Tim Ward smile at me, proudly–a vision I hope I never lose.
After the movie, we get into the family Mustang (our family car was a ‘78 Ford Mustang–a story for another day), and begin the drive home. My dad starts asking me what I thought of the movie, and I’m pretty sure I went into childish glee about the explosions, running and yelling, and how cool the scene with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker was.
Now, a lesser man would immediately resort to repeating the line, “Luke, I am your father” for obvious reasons. Not my dad. Instead, he simply smiled and looked at me and said, “That could be us.”
I smiled back because deep down, I knew it really could be. Well, with less killing and more Legos.