A father's day

Dad had gone somewhere (with his mistress I supposed.)

Cash on the table, kind of thing. He hadn’t been home in a few days. Nothing new.

I decided not to go to school during his absence.

The Principal of my high school called the house (answering machine.) He called my dad’s office (secretary.) He called every number in my school file. When he finally reached my dad after I missed more than two days of school, my dad told the high school Principal he was not aware that I had not been in school but would look into it.

When my dad came home he said, “Why haven’t you been in school?”

I replied by asking, “Why haven’t you been home?”

It was a sort of “checkmate”, an unspoken understanding. Dad and I said no more to each other about my missing school and continued on with the day.

The following school day my dad wrote my Principal a note that said I had been sick and that’s why I missed school.  

When I passed the note along to my Principal, he scoffed and declared the note a forgery. I assured him it wasn’t. He insisted it was. I assured him it wasn’t. He insisted it was and sent me home with a note saying he would like to meet with my dad after school on the next school day, but did not specify as to why.

I did not see my dad that night but left the note on the counter where dad would see it. The following morning dad left a note in response saying, “I’ll be there.”

Like a good businessman, my dad kept his appointment with the high school Principal. (I should like to mention my dad, at this time, was a delegate for a state organization, negotiating deals being his forte.)   

The following day, I sat in the Principal’s office receiving room after school and waited for my dad to arrive. When he did, dad gave me a quick peck on the top of my head and sat down in the chair next to me.

“What exactly does he need to see me about?” dad asked.

“I don’t know. He thinks the note you wrote about my being sick is fake. So maybe that?” I replied.

“He dragged me down here for that, because of a note?” I could see dad was clearly annoyed, he sighed heavily but remained calm, cool, and just waited for the Principal to come out to greet him. Minutes later the Principal did.

The Principal came out of his office and shook hands with my dad like gentlemen. The two men disappeared into the Principal’s office, and closed the door.

The high school secretary and I were once again alone in the receiving room. Almost immediately you could hear murmured voices the through the Principal’s office door, both the Principal’s and my dad’s…

Until the only voice you heard was that of my dad’s.

“I distinctly recall writing a formal letter excusing my daughter’s absence from your school.” My dad said sternly to the Principal.

“But I called you Mr. (Gordon) and you said you were not aware of…” my dad cut the Principal off from finishing his sentence and would not let him speak again.

In the following 3 minutes, my dad reminded the Principal what he did for a living, and how insignificant conferences like these takes away valuable time from people whose jobs and lives rely on my dad’s utmost attention, and how any further unnecessary communication would be best spent between the Principal and dad’s secretary, Grace.

My dad then ended his 3 minute lecture by loudly and firmly stressing the fact, “You may be Principal of this high school, but I am her father everywhere! Do we understand each other? Good!”

The Principal’s office door swung open, my dad walked out, gave me a quick peck on top of my head, and asked me, “Are you hungry? Where do you want to eat?”

My dad smiled at the secretary, flirted with her a little. Out of spite, I think. She was not an attractive woman!

Before leaving I peeked into the Principal’s office. He was still sitting behind his desk. Head slightly hung downward. Both hands resting on top of his desk. A pen in one hand. He was nervously flicking the pen back and forth like a metronome.  

I imagined the Principal was sitting there thinking; I don’t need this shit.

The following year dad transferred me to a different school. But I did happen to see that principal again just before I left for California.

He recognized me immediately.