I remember it like it was yesterday. Daddy wore his brown leather blazer, always a siren to alert us that we were destined for town. As he shined his boots, we scurried to put on matching socks and lay our cowlicks down.
Mama was, without exception, the last one inside our family’s Oldsmobile, and Daddy could be counted on to pop the horn a few times. We bumped along the winding country roads, making our way into the city. It felt like an eternity to four boys. Then, like a beacon of light, there it was! Daddy wheeled the car into the parking lot of the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg. It had everything our hearts desired, and on this December day it was wrapped in red ribbons, green garlands with lights, and the promise of purchases to be made.
Daddy led the way and we all marched close behind. He led us as fast as our feet would go into his favorite store, Fine Brothers Madison, where he spent his whole week’s salary buying each of us the shiniest, fanciest watches his money could buy. You would have thought we won the lottery the way he carried on, and Mama nearly passed out when the salesperson presented the total.
I will never forget riding my bike as fast as the pedals would turn to my best friend Tracey Annette’s little brick home on the hill to show her my marvelous Christmas watch that lit up in the dark, showed the day of the week, and was even water resistant. You could say Daddy spoiled us a bit with the material things in life, but I wasn’t bragging or boasting. The fact is I simply could not contain my joy over the extravagance he had gifted me with that year.
The thing that warmed my heart the most was that Tracey Annette and her little brother had more gifts than I had ever seen that year. Pawpaw Paul and Mawmaw Belle, along with a couple of uncles, had bought them dolls, coloring books with crayons, toy soldiers, hot wheels and stuffed animals. It was magical to see my friend so happy and for her to share my joy.
That Christmas Day we played Candyland, Monopoly and Life board games until we passed out with exhaustion. The next morning I looked down at my watch and knew that even though the gifts came in all shapes and sizes, all of us children were loved. Since then I have learned that many of the best gifts are things that money can’t buy, but Daddy’s watch reminds me always that love is right on time.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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