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Published on 6/25/2009

Last night while laying in the bed, trying to go to sleep, several things kept going threw my mind.

You know how it is, anything to keep you from dropping off. As I lay there, I got to remembering how tomorrow is one of my daughter's birthday.

Well, with her class schedule. I knew I'd have to catch her early to wish her a "Happy Birthday" or either if I didn't catch up with her 'till later, she'd get to thinking I must have forgot and Momma had to remind me.

That's something Daddy's don't do. Oh, they might forget the exact date of it sometimes, cause sometimes they're a little slow on the calendar's view of it, but trust me, they never forget the day they become a Father.

No man forgets they day they look down, and realizes that they had a part in bringing that little bundle of joy in the world.

For me the first time was on a Sunday, or Monday, depends on how you look at it. I was sound asleep, and then I heard someone calling my name.

You know how it is when you're half asleep dreaming, nothing seems real. But then I heard it again, "Robbin, get up."

Then after the second or third, get up, I looked at the clock, and remember saying to myself, "What in the world does she want at three in the morning." And at the split second I rolled out of bed to see what she was hollering about, and my feet hit the floor, she yells out, "My water's broke." And thirteen hours later Jessie arrived.

Four years later it was time again, Katie's turn. Katie who from the day of her birth has did it her way, was late getting here.

So to say we were on edge would be a understatement. But the day after her due date, as I was getting dressed for work, Mel let me know that she was seeing signs, but it was going to be a while, "Why don't you go on to work," which is code for, why don't you get out of here, your driving me crazy.

I told Bruce, my supervisor at the time, Mel was gonna call sometime this morning, and when the call came, I was outta here.

But six o'clock became eight o'clock, then nine, ten, and about that time I was as cousin Judy says, "Way over the edge." Any body that say's they can stay calm in this kinda situation, is crazy or is fooling themselves.

Then finally, and I mean finally about twelve, I noticed Bruce, standing there on the floor of the mill waving like crazy, giving me the "Let's Go" sign, and I whipped around and hit the emergency stop button on the headrig, and I was outta there.

But like I said earlier, Katie has her own timetable, and she wasn't in any hurray. So as I rushed in the house, with visions of hot water and blankets, the first thing Mel says to me is, "Go take a shower, we've got plenty of time." Who can think of a shower at a time like this!

So after a shower and a few more minutes where it felt like time stood still, we finally were off. Or so I thought, just as we got to Gtown, Mel asked if I had any dinner.

Who can think of food at a time like this? Her only answer was, "We've got time." How do women do things like that, staying calm, doesn't she realize we're fixing to have a baby?

Maybe I should have been like my Daddy, when Momma was in labor with me, in between one of the contractions, I was born in Hemingway, he was looking out the window, and the Christmas parade was going by.

He looked over at Momma and asked, "D.C., you want to get up and watch the parade?"

Her words were lost to posterity, but knowing her, the only thing she would have been watching would have been my Daddy's head turn blue, if she could have gotten her hands on him.

Getting back to Katie, like I said she does it her own way. I rolled Mel in the room, me and the nurse got her in the bed, and I settled in for a long wait. Hey, Jessie took thirteen hours, so I figured I'd be here a while. And I settled in just far away from Mel to be safe too.

Last time she bit me, so I wasn't falling for that one again. But it didn't take long folks, three hours later, she's in the warmer, raring up on all fours, looking around as if to say, "What's happening?" And she hasn't stopped since.

We all know how last Sunday was Father's Day, and we all like the attention it brings, and let's face it, the gifts too.

But each time we share in a part in bringing a child in this world, that's the true Father's Day to us. Oh, sure, there's gonna be good times, and bad, but they're worth it.

Because the greatest gift any man can receive is the look in a his child's eyes when they say,"You know, Daddy, I love you."