F is for Freddo

F is for Freddo which is what everyone knew him as but I knew him simply as Dad. He's been gone now for ten years and today's the day. You see I have a little secret, well it's not so little. It's big and it's green.

It's his car, you see when we were little this is where it all happened, the laughing, the fighting, the stories,  the intrigue at what lay beyond the pop out back windows. Everything we did seemed to involve this car, we went to school in it, we went to the shops in it, we went on holidays in it, wherever we were it seemed to be, like a faithful dog that never leaves it's master.

There were many milestones, learning to drive, getting my licence, first ticket, first crash, first date, first kiss. (not all on the same day mind you, well maybe the last two)  So as you can see it was always there, it's quite rare these days for someone to own a car for as long as Dad did, it was two years old when he bought it and it stayed with him to the day he died. When he passed the car left the farm, it was outta my hands and that's the way it had be. My sister and I were heartbroken, but the universe has a way of righting itself and four years later it found it's way home.

Now here's the secret, (sshhhh) I never told my sister. Or my mum. Now the old boy had always said "I'm gunna restore it." But he was always having fun and never got around to it. So when it made it's way home I vowed to finish off what he had never started Lol. And so it began.

I'm not the same person I was when that phone call came at one in the morning and the world fell down around me. I'm a dad now like he was to me and I can only hope that I'm giving my little girls half the great memories that he gave to me.

I feel honoured that my Beautiful Wife has let me into her world to do this, her world with the commas and the full stops and all the punctuation. She is the light of my life and without her none of this could have happened.

But it's not about the car, it never has been and never was.  It's about the man, the most awesome man I've ever known I just wanted to honour him and get back some of those memories.

So today's the day, but then again everyday is the day.

I miss you Dad.