You're always a Dad

[Mark Padgett]

Last night, on my way home from the office, I stopped off to do some shopping. My cell phone rang and it was my wife telling me the following: "Josh (our son) just called. He has a 5:45 game at Tigard gym #2 and he forgot to take his shoes to work with him today (he goes straight to early games from work). Can you somehow get some shoes over to him before his game?" It was now 5:20.

I had four choices. The first was "no", but I thought I'd try anyway. The second was to go to his apartment and get his shoes, but just getting there was a 20 minute drive one-way. The third was to buy him shoes at the store where I was (Costco), but they didn't have any even close to all black. I chose the fourth option. I drove home like a maniac, grabbed an old pair of my shoes and then drove like a maniac to the gym. I got there at 5:43.

He saw me and came over to put on the shoes. The ones he had on were black and white with white laces. I asked him where he got them and he said, "you don't want to know."

Anyway, I stayed to watch his (freshman) game. It was really close the whole way and the home team came from a few points behind to win by three. The visitors missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it. After the game, I asked him how he could have allowed the possibility of an overtime, as that goes against everything I ever taught him.

He said, "I told my partner that if it went into overtime it would be his fault, but he just shrugged."

I told Josh he could keep the shoes, and that he should keep them in the trunk of his car. He said that was OK as long as his girlfriend didn't see them because then she would think he was a dork.

Josh is 21, but it's nice to know that when he needs help he still calls his mom and dad.