Adaptation

A Family's Song (from Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross)

“Remember this song Mom?” I asked, as we were driving from my house back to the old folks center as the song played on the radio. “Yes” my Mother replied, “your Dad used to love this song, everyday he would play this song for us before bedtime, ever since you were born. When you were older we would dance, sing, and laugh… and your baby brother Michael would sit there happy as could be, those were good times.” Yeah, I remember doing that when I was little, but the few years before pop died we stopped, “how come?” I asked. Well, Mom replied, “you got too busy with high school things, you were always out late with your friends or you were out on dates, but your father always played the song and would tell me how proud he was of you, he would always tell me how good of a son you were, and we would always dream about what your future would be like.” Your Father would say, “he’ll be such an amazing dad, and husband, that boy is going places.” Music has that affect on people son, your father used to say, “everyone has their ONE song.” It could be a song about finding love, being hurt, or just any old song that made you happy, he chose that song, because it reminded him of you.
I am brought to tears as the song is ending, I miss my father more than anything, I look and my mom is also in tears, the song is done, I turn the radio off just wanting to finish the drive in silence, I think of my dad, wishing I could go back to my childhood and listen just one more time with him. I can remember the warm summer nights at sunset, drinking lemonade with the song playing, and fall as the leaves turned colors, even the first snow, that song was in the background. We sure do miss him.