Sli-Ku We arrived at the riverfront just as it stopped raining and I remember seeing vapor rising from the streets. I could feel the muggy heat in my lungs with each shallow breath I took. “MOM…it’s so hot!” I cried out. “Get used to it son,” mom replied. And mom would know, having grown up in Louisiana. “But you and dad said we were moving and our new home would have weather opposite of the Air Force Base in the Philippines!” With a dead-pan face and without missing a beat, my father interjected, “Yes son, the big storms over here are called hurricanes and they rotate counterclockwise to typhoons. That’s a fancy word for opposite.” I felt tricked. “That’s not right!” I yelled, pouting with my arms tightly crossed against my chest…stomping with each step I took. At the age of 5, I had learned the effectiveness of timing paired with sarcasm, the role ambiguity plays in negotiating with children, and if you call it ‘equivocating’, it’s somehow not a lie. My protest lasted about 10 steps. I still couldn’t discern the “distraction technique” yet, so as soon as dad told me to come to the back of our 70’s station wagon (tricked-out with wood paneling and a luggage rack) to grab Boomer’s leash, I had already forgotten about both the heat and the deception that had hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a special day - a picnic followed by all the festivities surrounding an old fashioned 4th of July extravaganza on the riverfront! Mom packed the best picnic baskets and always brought the best books and toys to keep me busy; after all, it was going to be an all day and night affair. The local symphony played classic All-American music, while local celebrities and dignitaries made speeches between the musical selections. I didn’t pay attention to the speakers or what they were saying. I was too busy being a kid. But just then, an important looking man said something to the crowd and my father stood up. “Is dad leaving? Why did dad stand up? Why is he waving and saying thanks to everyone?” I asked mom. I then noticed several other men close by had stood up. As I looked all around I could see others
standing. The crowd started clapping…louder and louder, eventually erupting into an ovation. Confused, I asked again, “Mom, what’s going on?” Mom told me the Mayor had asked for all the active and retired military service personnel to stand up so that we could thank them. Up to that point, I had few memories; but from that moment on, I never looked at my dad the same way again. PRIDE. I knew how pride felt before I even knew that it was a word or what the definition of it meant. I felt this swell in my chest and in the huge smile that was on my face as I saw my dad being celebrated by total strangers. He, along with the others who stood, was getting patted on the back and was being asked to have his hand shaken. Not a 4th of July goes by without me thinking of that moment. July was named in honor of the then Roman general, Julius Caesar, in honor of his birth month. It was previously called Quintilis, Latin for five when there were only 10 months in the year. July is the official start of the dog days of summer and after July 4th, there are exactly 180 days left in the year. I guess that’s why Independence Day is also called U-turn day in other parts of the world. This is also around the day that the Earth is the farthest from the sun; the aphelion if you want to get fancy. Funny that it is at this position that we are nearing the hottest temperatures! Maybe that’s why Hot Enough For Ya? Day and National Ice Cream Day both occur this month. Two scoops of sarcasm and ice cream please! How could I not mention Spoonerism (Spooner’s) Day on the 22nd? A spoonerism is an error in speech OR a deliberate play on words in which consonants or vowels are switched between two words in a phrase. A “pack of lies” turns into a “lack of pies” or a “bottle in front of me” becomes a “frontal lobotomy.” They are also called Freudian Slips when a person accidentally says a spoonerism that may be an insight into their true feelings or motives. I have a childhood friend that is a psychologist and thinks that Freud is overrated. She says any meaning attached to these “slips” are just a load of shull bit!
Fireworks burst forth You turn to face the dog days The year half over
Until next time…
Lee Kreil
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