In the whole wide world.
Dad's 1953 "Louisville Male High School" Class Ring.
His was in the last all male graduating class.
He was proud of that.
Their band was based off Texas A&M's Military band.
It was humongous.
300+
He loved it.
He would go to football games just to see the band.
When he went to enroll in Jefferson Community College in the late seventies he said the lady told him "You graduated from male High School in the 50's?
You already have a college degree."
He loved that too.
I would sit in church when I was elementary school age and just twirl it on his finger and just be mesmerized by it.
Somewhere around middle school he let it be known "When something happens to me? That's yours."
I thought that was so great.
After he passed?
I went looking for it.
Immediately.
It wasn't for me, it was to remind me of him.
To honor him.
Anyway.
Couldn't find it.
Looked all over.
Usually it's on the jewelry tray.
Right on the lil finger lookin like thing you store rings on.
Not there.
Had Janet and others help me look.
Not there,
Gone.
Vanished.
I mean we looked behind dressers and under the bed.
Three people.
It aint there.
I just couldn't get it out of my mind.
I would just walk back to the bedroom and look for it from time to time.
Not there.
Then?
One day?
Bout a week later?
It just showed up out of thin air and was on the jewelry tray.
Right on the fake finger thingy.
Just like always.
We all just stood there with our jaws dropped like, "What the hell just happened?"
I have a coke tray.
(That's a whole nuther post someday right there.)
Anyway, I keep watch keys, rings, change, knives, zippos, whatever is in my pockets or jewelry I'm wearing goes in the coke tray including dads ring.
Periodically to this day.
This ring will disappear and not be found for a few days.
Then it magically reappears.
It's happened on numerous occasions.
It's fucking crazy.
Nich asked me one time if I would take a million dollars for it.
"No".
"Why?"
"Cause it's grandpa Chuck's and if I lost it for any reason I would be sick to my stomach and hate myself for the rest of my life. Is that something that sounds fun to you or like something that you would enjoy?"
"Would you sell the bike for a million dollars?"
I laughed.
"Yeah. I could buy a lot of bikes with that" lol.
(That's changed lol due to the completed the Epic Cairo ride and that we've become one with the concrete a few more times since that particular conversation).
People notice it.
It looks like a college ring.
Bulldog logo on one side.
Seal of Kentucky on the other.
"United we stand divided we fall."
That was 1792.
That hasn't changed much
The big H on that blue background?
My favorite color and the "H" that stood for high but I think we both took it to stand for Hollifield :-).
It's handsome.
I love it.
His Birthday would have been tomorrow.
It's the reason for this post.
He would have been 82.
Miss him.
A lot.
Happy Birthday pops.
No comments:
Post a Comment