My Hero, My Dad

First, I have to say thanks to Jacqueline Diamond for taking her blog day to talk about the Harlequin American blog. We'd love to have input about what you--our readers--would like to see here!

And now...

Romances are all about the heroes and heroines of our books. With Father's Day just behind us, I thought I'd share a memory of my very first hero.

At all of six years old, I'd taken on the first-time responsibility of caring for a pet. Three pets, actually--three little goldfish that swam in a small plastic fishbowl. I watched over these little guys, fed them and, when necessary, filled their bowl with fresh water. To do this, I had to carry the bowl to the laundry room where we had a big iron sink almost as tall as I was. With a long-handled net, I'd transfer the goldfish to a smaller bowl until their bigger home was ready.

One day--you've probably guessed it!--one of the fish got away. He flipped and flopped out of the net and fell into the sink, then promptly slid down the drain. I promptly screamed "Daddy!" as loudly as my lungs would allow.

He came on the run, imagining who knows what deadly accident had happened to me. The fish was long gone, I was in hysterics, but none of that bothered my dad. He quickly figured out the situation and went to work.

On the floor beside the tub was a square metal plate with drainage holes. He lifted the plate and told me to turn on the faucet. I couldn't imagine why he wanted me to do that, but I did it, anyway. Seconds later, water came rushing from the pipe--and the goldfish splish-splashed right into Dad's hands!

I was so amazed at this magical feat, at first I didn't notice that the fish was no longer breathing. I also didn't follow very closely what Dad did next. To this day, all I know is, it involved hot water, cold water, and salt, not necessarily in that order.

A few moments later, the goldfish's fins began to move, then his tail began to twitch and, finally, he shook his entire body like a puppy dog. He swam around and around the goldfish bowl as if he'd never left it.

That's the day I first knew my dad was a hero.


How about you? Have any stories about your hero dad? I'd love to hear them!


All my best to you,

Barbara

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Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com