Mothballs
He believed in being frugal when it came to most of the
things in his life. If his eyeglasses broke, he’d get out the cure-all known as
black electrical tape. It didn’t bother or concern him if people laughed. It
did bother mom however and even with the tenderness of her voice trying to show
him not everything can be fixed with black electrical tape, it didn’t faze dad
one little bit. He wore the same pair of shoes for decades, taking them to the
shoe repair man whom dad grew to know very well over the years. He put new
heels on them and soles if needed. He would put in new laces and give them a
good shine all for Ten dollars. In his eighty years on earth, the man owned
only three pairs of shoes. It was the same with his trousers that mom pressed
with a hot iron and wet cloth, steaming a crease so straight it was amazing. He
had several pairs of trousers, one pair for work, one for doing chores around
the house, a pair for going to church, and one for a backup just in case he ripped
or tore anything. This only meant one day of substitution as mom would break
out her sewing kit and mend what needed mending very quickly. Dad was a
creature of habit and didn’t like to stray too far from his comfort zone. I
remember one very cold winter when he took his winter coat out of the cedar
chest where he kept it along with a couple of sweaters and warm wool socks. I
could smell him coming from a distance and mom begged him to let her air it out,
but he believed the smell would go away eventually. It did however make for mixed
feelings among the people on the bus, some plugging their noses trying to shut
out the smell of cedar. Smells like my grandma’s closet, one guy said. You
afraid of getting moths mister, another one asked. Dad wasn’t concerned with
sly remarks and buried his head in the morning newspaper concentrating on world
problems and certainly not the smell of his winter coat. The smell was pretty much
gone about the time he didn’t need the coat anymore as spring had sprung. That’s
when he kept his rubber boots and an old gray umbrella close by in case the forecast
called for rain. Again, the people on the bus laughed at him wearing rubber
boots on sunny days, his umbrella at his side and ready. Go ahead and laugh he
thought to himself, the boots will protect my shoes and who wants to buy new
shoes? When dad worked in the yard, cutting the grass and trimming bushes
better than the people who made all those amazing animal carvings at Disney land,
he’d wear his yard trousers and a white t-shirt. Years ago, he even wore a pair
of garden shoes he made out of a pair of unclaimed shoes he purchased from his
friend the cobbler. He told dad sometimes someone passes away before they could
claim their shoes and he usually sold them very cheaply and that’s all dad
needed to know. The fact they were a pair of spats didn’t bother him as most
things didn’t. Growing up in my house, you just got used to dads’ ways and went
with it. What always seemed strange to me was all of us including mom, never
went without nice things. New school clothes every year, new shoes every few
months, and no access to cedar chests as every year we got new winter coats and
boots. Mom got her hair done every other week while dad cut his own hair using
a set of clippers, he bought at a thrift store. Personally, I saved up and
bought an old car to moms delight who said never riding another bus was fine
with her. Sure, it was strange living with a man who went without what others
believed to be important but after his death, as a simple pine box was lowered
into the ground, the truth about my dad was revealed. Not long after the
funeral, an envelope was given to mom by a man claiming to be dad’s attorney.
None of us knew he even had one. The letter simply said, I choose a simple life
and wasn’t concerned with personal belongings. My shoes protected my feet no
matter how they looked. My boots protected my shoes and my trousers always
looked good thanks to your mom. It’s okay that you thought I was crazy, but I
knew you loved me no matter how eccentric I may have appeared to be. Hopefully,
I’m someplace now where the only cedar I smell is from the giant cedar tree
forests. I can throw out my supply of black electrical tape because nobody here
needs glasses. I always knew I wouldn’t ever be able to give you all the things
I wanted to give but hopefully, this will show you that going without, so others
don’t have to isn’t all that difficult. I love all of you and someday with any
good luck, we will meet again. In the meantime, have a happy life for me.
Inside that envelope was a check for five million dollars in a bag of mothballs.
Mike 2023
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