My father is an extraordinary man. His public face is that of SuperDR, efficient, brilliant, able to soothe a patient in a single visit. His family face is a little bit more Clark Kent. Fun, kooky, slightly nuts. Abuelito is adored by his grandchildren and children alike.
His main interest in life is his family. He might follow sports, or TV shows, but he drops everything when his family needs him. Come to think of it I don't think he follows sports.
He IS obsessed with the French language, and watched movies with the French turned on, which can be terribly disorienting while watching action films, where most of the dialog consists of grunts and groans. But those are French dubbed grunts and groans, which can elicit giggles from the less advanced of us in the family.
He is also a poet, and I hope he publishes them, or at least puts them up on a blog like this one so they can be read by the wider public. Writers need an audience too, dad!
One crystal clear memory of my Dad that made a huge impression on me: We were at Disneyland waiting to get in, impatient, excited, and in my case, surly since I was a preteen and desperate to be cool. An elderly woman had a fainting spell, her family panics, my dad puts on his cool, collected Doctor face, assists the woman, calms the family, makes sure the situation is well in hand as paramedics arrive, then gets back in line with us, shedding his SuperDr persona and going back to being our beloved, befuddled Papi.
I love you, Papi. We are a better place for you and your superpowers.
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