10/25/09

Cough Drops and Dad

We had Stake Conference this weekend, and for a split second during last night’s meeting, I felt like I was back in the Acequia II ward sitting next to my dad.

I smelled a cherry Halls cough drop. That’s what Dad smells like nearly every Sunday at church. It always happens the same way. First Dad clears his throat—a very distinct throat clearing that always reminds me that I need to clear my throat, too. Then he readjusts his positioning, shifting his weight so he can reach into his suit coat and pull out a cherry Halls cough drop. Sometimes he puts the wrapper in my mom’s hand, and then mom looks up at him and gives him a funny look, one that I interpret as “I love you, you funny man.”

But I haven’t been home for a while. So I haven’t smelled that cherry cough drop, until last night in Stake Conference. I never knew how much I liked the smell until last night.

1 comment:

Shannon said...

It's funny how little details can trigger a memory or the sense of a person, especially smell. When I first stepped off the bus when we went to down-town Hong Kong, I felt like I was 5 years old again, becuase it smelled like Taiwan (where my mom served her mission, and she took us there when I was 5). I literally flashed back to the mental state of a 5 yr old, which was kind of bizarre, but kind of fun, too.

And I like how well you gave us the image of your dad's actions. I felt like I could see him coughing, shifting, etc.