Father’s Day is always a bittersweet time for me.
The last time I saw my father was on Father’s Day in 1998. Twenty-eight years later, I still think about him almost every day.
I try to keep his memory alive for my son, who was too young to remember Pap. We talk about him often. I carry his money clip everywhere I go. I have no idea what happens when our time on the bright side of the dirt ends, but I choose to believe I’ll see him again.
He was, as the loyal PFT readers know, a bookie. His constant harping on me that “you can’t win” has kept me away from betting on sports. (It also has made me committed to making sure that anyone who chooses to gamble views it as tightly-budgeted entertainment and not as a way to get rich or pay bills. Because he was right; over the long haul, you can’t win.)
The things I saw and heard while growing up inspired Father of Mine, a ‘70s-era mob story inspired by the crew that ran the small town where his parents settled after immigrating to America. Many of you have bought it. Many of you have read it. Some of you (I hope) have enjoyed it.
If you haven’t read it yet, the ebook will be free this Father’s Day weekend. Click here on Saturday or Sunday, and you’ll get it for the low, low cost of not a penny.
If you like it, the sequel — Son of Mine — is available in ebook form for 99 cents. The third book in the series is ready to go, but it’s currently stuck behind a couple of other projects. (A fourth book in the series is under construction, too.)
Father of Mine is, at its core, about the instinct we all have to protect our children, at all costs. Regardless of the quality of the relationship, fathers will (or at least should) be ready to do whatever is required to help, to guide, and to safeguard our children.
That’s why Father’s Day isn’t just a time to appreciate all fathers. It’s an occasion for all fathers to renew their commitment to the people for whom they are responsible.
