The Day My Dad Was Really Cool

Most kids go through a phase when they are really ashamed of their parents. Sometimes hat phase lasts from birth to death, and sometimes it is minor and un-noticeable.

I remember a day when the pride for my father was in full bloom. It was only two years earlier when I felt there was a low point in our relationship. Two years earlier I got caught selling some pot to a friend. Now that I think of it, the cop was pretty cool and didn’t involve me in the justice system, he just involved my father. This was on the morning that my parents were leaving for Europe for a couple weeks. My father was pissed, and I had to stay with my sister until they returned…

Now jump ahead two years to when I was a senior in high school. I was involved in the stage crew and I was very involved in photography and art. One night after a production the Vice-Principal left his keys behind, and an observant friend rescued the keys, and made copies of the school master key before returning them to the VP the following day.

I received a copy, and I used it for convenience. I often needed to have access to the stage or a darkroom or an art studio, and rather than hunting down a key, I’d just let myself in where I needed to be.

The friend who made the key got into some sort of trouble and he ratted on me for having one. I was called into the principal’s office. My father was called in as well. I had no idea why I was called in, nor did my father.

When we were all there the Principal said he wanted to expel me because I had the master key. He went on and on and finally asked for my father’s comments on the situation. My father asked if anything had been stolen or vandalized. The answer was no. My father commended me for making things more convenient for myself. He said that he would have done the same as I had if he were in my place. The only one truly at fault was the careless Vice Principal, who compromised the security of the entire school and that the school was fortunate that I was the one who ended up with the key instead of other students who might have malicious intent.

My father’s opinion on the situation saved my ass. I was not expelled dor did I have any other disciplinary action taken against me. There were several occasions when I thanked my father for his support on that day. It was pretty cool.