IRISHMAN FOR HIRE

The sun was shining through the windows while a gentle breeze was blowing through the curtains and I could tell right away that it was going to be a great day. I needed to take my car into the repair shop by 8:00 a.m. so I poured a cup of coffee, headed into the living room and turned on Sports Center. I was lacing up my sneakers and keeping an eye on the Yankees highlights when Stephanie came into the living room and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to follow you over? You can drop off your car and then come with me to drop off the kids at school.”

“Thanks, Steph, but I’ll be fine. Take the kids to school and I’ll meet you back here afterward. Besides, it’s a great day for a walk,” I responded as the kids came running into the living room.

“Can I watch Curious George, Daddy?” Chloe asked.

“You need to get ready for school,” I said as I touched her nose with the tip of my pointer finger. Then I picked up the remote control and turned off the television.

“Are you sure? I can drive you…”

“Trust me, Steph, I’m fine. The sun is shining outside; a walk will be nice after the winter we have had,” I said as I cut her off mid sentence. I took one last swig of my coffee, gave the kids a bunch of hugs before I left, went outside, got into my car and drove off. After I pulled into the repair station and gave the mechanic my car key, I started to walk home. As I crossed the street, I made my way to the local garden center and walked in the front door.

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Stephanie and I spent last Sunday night on the couch in front of the television. It was a chance for us to finally relax and decompress after a long weekend and as the evening was starting to get late, Stephanie said, “I’m going up to bed. Are you coming up?”

“Not right now. I’ll be up in a little bit,” I responded. “I am going to watch the end.”

“I had a lot of fun today, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me; it wasn’t what I had originally planned but what the heck? We went with the flow today and we had a lot of fun.”

“Well, it was a great day. Just what the doctor ordered but I am tired and need to get some sleep,” Stephanie said as she got up off the couch, gave me a kiss and headed upstairs to bed.

I continued to watch the show but my mind started to wander as I thought about the day we had just spent together. The kids and I started Mother’s Day off by making breakfast in bed for Stephanie. The children helped me make an omelet and coffee. Stephanie was awake when we delivered the food to her and while she ate, the kids inundated her with many, many cards that they had made for her.

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“Dad,” Josh whispered as he jostled my shoulders. “Wake up, it’s time to go.”

“What?” I asked as I rolled over, rubbed my eyes and peered at Josh through the slits of my barely open eyelids.

“Wake up, Dad, it’s time to go,” he excitedly whispered again.

“What time is it?”

“5:30”

“Go get dressed. I’ll be downstairs in five minutes,” I said as I stared at the clock and rubbed my face with my hands. As I sat up on my end of the bed, I was beginning to hate this idea. Unfortunately, it was my idea and although it sounded great when I was stuck in traffic on Friday afternoon on my way home, at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, I was regretting my decision. I am not a morning person, especially on the weekends, and I am not a fisherman but Josh loves to fish.

His Uncle Paul takes him fishing when Paul comes to visit. Last fall, the cub scouts had a fishing day at a local pond and Josh had the best time fishing with his friends. So I thought about the two of us fishing together when I got caught in traffic on my way home. Work has been hectic lately and I have been at the office a lot over the past few weeks. There is a lot to get done before the end of the Fiscal Year, so I have been home less than usual at night and our weekends have been extremely busy over the past month.

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