New Ties / Old Ties

I attended my cousin's wedding on Saturday. Although we missed the ceremony, the reception was a lot of fun. Everyone had a great time.

Before heading out to the reception, however, my Mom mentioned that there was supposed to be a surprise guest there. The surprise was for my Dad. My Dad loves surprises and hadn't pressed anyone for information, so the anticipation was building.

As with most weddings, when we arrived, there were hugs and kisses from relatives we hadn't seen in a while. Dad held back catching up with a few friends and Mom and I wandered into the hall. As we entered the room, the evening's entertainment was conducting a sound check. Suddenly this velvety voice began singing. I stopped, dumbstruck. Wow! His voice was like buttah!!

Mom leans over to me and says "That's your Dad's surprise."

What? This guy?

I looked back as my Aunt was escorting Dad into the hall; they're both laughing. Then she points towards the singer and Dad turns to look.

It was priceless. His mouth fell open, his facial expression ranges from shock, to surprise, to utter joy. And he begins to tear up.

"Who is he?" I ask Mom.

"John Morello."

OH!! I had heard stories my entire childhood about the guys at the warehouse where my dad used to work. Dad talked about John Morello a lot. How he often broke out in song at the warehouse, entertaining his co-workers. Dad, and everyone else, always said that John was wasting his time at the warehouse. I guess he finally got the message and is now, as they say, singing for his supper.

My heart swelled to see Dad so happy. John seemed to serenade Dad the whole night, interjecting the odd exclamation of "Frenchy" into his songs.

And all the way home, Dad kept exclaiming in an awed tone "John Morello!" while shaking his head.