This picture is from a couple of years ago. It is one of my favorites of my oldest daughter, Megan, and me. She is finishing her spring break, which she spent in Marco Island, FL. Two days ago she drove up the coast to spend a few hours with a friend in Savannah, then yesterday she drove up to spend an evening and overnight with us in Winston. We had a nice dinner yesterday at one of our favorite spots, 6th and Vine. It was great to catch up on all the scoop from back home. We had a nice breakfast this morning at the house, and poof, she was gone! It was a brief but wonderful visit!
I’ll share a couple of Megan stories from when she was growing up. The daily routine at our house after dinner was for the kids to work on their homework. My ex and I would help them whenever they needed it. I remember one night trying real hard to help Megan understand a simple math concept. She couldn’t get it, and would drift away, losing her focus. Then I became frustrated and lost it. I guess I said something like, “Megan, talking to you is like talking to a goddam brick wall!” Something loving like that. Well, I’ve had many opportunities to sincerely apologize for that, as Megan retells the story once in a while. Not my greatest dad moment. And we later discovered that Megan simply does not have the math chip. She is excellent with her finances and such, but she has been known to count on her fingers, if that says anything. Still, no excuses. I screwed up.
Then there was the time when Megan was a teenager that I told her I would pick her up after work. She was a clerk at a department store at the local mall. She closed the place, walked out at the appointed time of 9:30 PM to find her father not there. That was before everyone had a cell phone, so she couldn’t just call. She just waited, and stewed. I finally remembered and picked her up a little late. Not good. She said something to me like, “What part of 9:30 do you not understand!?” Well, I don’t let her forget that! We laugh about it now.
At her high school graduation, everyone was surprised when she got to wear a special stole that identified her as an honor student. They were surprised because she was such a prankster, a “cool kid,” not one of the typical brainiacs. When people asked her how she got that honor stole she said, “I stole it off a nerd.”
But she went on to the U. of Michigan, studied a semester abroad in Spain, is beautifully bilingual, and went on to finish a Masters degree and a Ph.D. When she goes back to school next week, at Heidelberg University, it is back to her job as a professor of Clinical Counseling. I guess she’s not such a brick wall after all!
I love you, Megan! You did really well, despite your father’s efforts! LOL It’s a joy and a pleasure to be with you!
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