Adulthood

Papa died today (to steal and slightly change a line from Camus), actually the paterfamalis died last night at about 8:30. I was, sad to say, dead asleep from the cold meds I have been taking, and 200 or so miles away. Not much I could have done anyway, his life had been a downward sprial for a few years, and I said good bye to him a long time ago. I never really knew the dead man, and the perfect example of that came to me this morning as I struggled out of bed. As usual it will be a long winded example, so stick with me. I did not know my father's favourtie football team. Simple enough right? Well you see anyone who knows anything about ME knows my American football team is the Vikings, and that came about through an act of the wolf that raised me, not my father. Also, anyone who ever sees me without a long sleeved shirt on will know my favourite English football club. It is Arsenal, and I have a tattoo of their crest on my left arm. None of this is to say that I am easier to know than my late father, it is just to say that the nature of our relationship was such that I never knew his team, or for that matter, if he even HAD a favourite team. A petty, trivial bit of knowledge you would think, but remember I live in the South. Football, American style, is close to a religion in these parts, and you can learn a lot about a man or woman if you know their team, it speaks volumes. All of this is to say that, according to the Roman custom, today I am an adult. Free of the fatherly yoke, and now able to enter adulthood. Ever heard the expression "now you are the man of the house"? That is a nod to that custom. Also, since I have to return to bury him not to praise him, it means that the hero march will have to be on a couple of days hiatus. Because where I am going to stick my father in the cold, cold ground there is no internet, there is no cable, and there is no phone service (for me at least). However, fear not when I return from the great wasteland that some people think I call "home" I will pick the thread back up, and attempt to see the project through to the bitter end. After all today is all about bitter ends.