On Tuesdays and Saturdays he would come home earlier and have dinner with us. I had four sisters so we all used to wait for his attention at the dinner table. We would all take our turns in telling him what we had learned at school or any other important information we wished to share. Sunday was his day off. We would usually take a drive to somewhere nice. We would either take a walk in the country or go visit some town we had never been to before. We would always sit in the car and listen to our favorite radio program that was called the Phantom. It was an ongoing series about a sort of super natural being that solved mysteries.

Every summer we would rent a cottage at the beach. We would pack everything but the kitchen sink and then pile into the car for the endless cramped journey. The car was so full and heavy that when we got to the big hill we would all get out to walk. My father would putter along in the car. We would stay for 2 weeks of blissful sun and sand. My father would stay the first weekend and then come back for the last week. We would finally get to see him every day. My father was a great swimmer. I just loved watching him skim along the surface of the water with his powerful arms projecting him thru the water like a torpedo.

One summer when I was 6 I received a postcard and present. I can remember the excitement of running to the gate to receive the post and to my great surprise finding a package with my name on it. Inside was a wonderful straw hat with a printed colored ribbon that matched a midriff top. The blue bermuda slacks had the same trim around the hem. It was brand new sophisticated and stylish. The post card said it was a present for my special girl from a secret admirer. Everyday when we returned from the beach I would shower and put on my new outfit. After dinner I would beg one of my older sisters to take me down to the main boulevard with all the penny arcades and shops so that everyone could see my new outfit. Having three older sisters I was so proud of having such a fashionable outfit that no one else had ever worn. The best part was that it was from a secret admirer.

When I got home I compared the handwriting to that in the cardboard box where my father kept all the housekeeping accounts.