...wonderful tonight

And you know you're all grown up when your parent becomes your peer...

Riverboat themed party, in Southern California, 1995ish -

but I didn't dress in costume like everyone else did.

I wore a pencil skirt, white

and a colorful blouse, not riverboaty one bit, but definitely all grown up.

And my date was my father.

She, whom the party was held for, a coworker of his

a forty year old coworker, when forty seemed all grown up, which today, to me, it does not...

There were all forms of gambling going on that night, with irresistible, pretend paper money and over exaggerated glee, and I knew when I walked in that night that I'd be the big winner of the entire event and I was, but knowing so beforehand, understanding this in my gut didn't  actually make winning the big pot any less wonderful.

Weekend in Vegas for two, all included, all mine...

I separated myself from my Dad that night, often and appropriately, so he could mingle and I could be grown up single

I was suddenly and awkwardly closer in age to my parent then I'd known possible.

We were friends.

Since that time we've been many things, 

father/daughter being the most clear but not always the most easy of our relationship status

friends

relatives

peers

teammates

companions

champions 

opponents

and many hard to explain couplings

We are one of those car chargers that accepts most common receptacles for reenergizing.

We are good together.

All good.

Today, hour after hour, I never felt bored or wanted anything about our mutual suffrage or our shared hardship to end. Not ever.

I loved the toughness, but only wished it was my turn for the hard parts and not his.

I loved the bloom the two pints of red provided his precious cheeks

Today we were parent and child again, but this time I was the parent and he the child

I don't know how to be in this relationship all the time

I only know that the love I feel is outgrowing the hothouse it grows in.

He the Gardner, I the soil and the seeds are the million things between us.

I love my father.

And there were moments in our day, this day,  that I swore he'd never appeared more handsome

People used to tell me he looked like a movie star***

And tonight, he looked wonderful.... if wonderful means; I love your face and your eyes, your sighs and the feel of your cool hand in mine.

I love you daddy is not enough to say I love you daddy.

You looked wonderful tonight.