Leigh Radtke – The Bond Between a Father and Daughte


Leigh Radtke

The Bond Between a Father and Daughter

“Go pick up your father.”

my mother tells me where to go
what I don’t tell her is that I am so stoned

that Humpty Dumpty could fall off me and I wouldn’t see the pieces or his men
driving is a Cheech and Chong experience
I have to keep checking the speedometer to make sure that I AM going above 10 MPH
This would be funny except that the place is small    dark and by the waterside
ya know      dirty glass bricks halfway up the wall    a plywood door window  and
a half lit OLD MIL neon beer sign

I go in and in the middle of the floor in the middle of the bar right in front of the stools
Slinkyman            Dancing
pushing his pelvis in and out like some horny Gumby trying to make nice to Pokey
except that he keeps missing the sweet spot          hey dad

I look over at the bartender (take him home honey) and get one of those looks like you used to give the
homeless before there were so many that it cost too much

we sit at the bar and I order a couple of Dewars on the rocks with a twist
my father and I always drank scotch on Christmas    birthdays      veterans day

let’s go home dad    these are my friends    let’s go home dad    I am bombed    let’s go home dad

I don’t help him to the car
I get in and reach across the seat to open the door
I grip the steering wheel to take stock of      ME

my dad looks at me
I don’t look at him because his swaying is making me seasick
and says:

“I am bombed”

I want to tell him that the scotch made me a little heavier
like a balloon filled with air instead of helium
but what I do say is:

“That’s OK dad because I am so stoned that you’re gonna have to help me drive.”

he flings his face forward
grips the dashboard in front of him
                                            he got it on the second try
and says:

“OK we’ll make it.”

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