i haven’t talked to my dad much since in the few weeks since i’ve been back from vacation. not for any real reason. just haven’t been calling. i haven’t really missed it, either. but i think he has. over the weekend i got a text message telling me that he had an extra blackjack that he was going to send me so i could try it out. for no reason. yesterday i missed a call from him and texted to see what was up; he was letting me know about some chips falling into place for a financial deal that we had talked in december about him helping me out with. i won’t lie- i was and am touched by the fact that my dad is reaching out to me. he misses me. que cute. when i got out of work yesterday i called him back and we talked about the crazy weather and various things that were going on with the family. he even really tried to listen when he asked me how my job was and i told him. (i laughed inside when he tentatively asked ‘is it too early to think about the future?’.. bendito, he wants to know my plans but every time he asks me i give him the complete run-around. bless his heart for trying not to push.)

tonight he called me to tell me that a real estate deal that had had a property of his tied up for the better part of two years had been approved by the zoning commission. he was giddy with excitement. not only does this release him (come closing) from pointless mortgage payments or the possibility of handing the house over to the bank and losing all the equity he has in it, but it allows him and his wife to move forward with plans they have to sell their house and move to illinois to pursue some harebrained idea about a racehorse breeding and training farm. (truly, i am hoping that it works. i feel like an ass for being skeptical of their dream and would much rather be proven wrong. but i digress.) he was getting ready to go out to celebrate and joked that watch him crash into a brick wall on the way home, but at least he’d go out happy. i asked him to reformulate that plan. hooray for happy dad. especially one that’s alive.

no more than five minutes after hanging up with him, as i was getting ready to sit down to dinner and discovering in the process that my microwave has decided that it prefers simply counting down the time backwards to doing that and warming up my food, i heard a ringtone that i rarely have the pleasure of listening to- the super mario brothers theme song. little brother! (as if him calling me didn’t make me happy enough, it really is almost impossible to hear that ring and not be excited.) i’m big on making people aware that i’m thinking about them, and as such had sent him a text saying nothing more than ‘hi!’ earlier in the day. i’m surprised and pleased that it inspired a phone call. he’s doing well. he likes his classes and his job. he’s been reminding people about tuesday’s primary and will be casting a ballot for obama (have i mentioned that I LOVE MY LITTLE BROTHER?). he’ll probably come visit in march and, as he puts it, steal my dog when he goes back (huge favor to me). i cannot get over how cool it is to be talking to this smart, funny, well-adjusted guy that he has come to be. i’m so glad he’s around.

smile!

(family-related bonus: vero’s mom’s birthday is today. tomorrow is the birthday of both carlos’s and laurel’s moms. these are my three best friends. i think that is super weird and neat, but decline to draw any mystical conclusions.)