It's one of those things you see in back yards throughout the country, in parks and empty lots or on a college campus on game day.
Close enough to talk, there's enough distance between them for the ball to zip crisply through the air. Laughter erupts should one drop a pass. They are playing an old game with each other.
There is an easiness between them as they've played together for years and have long mastered the other's deceptions. Their conversation is about everything and nothing. Obviously they're simply having a good time hanging out.
The father is 57.
His son is 35.
Had the girls been with them, a 33 and a 25 year old would be throwing the ball with the same crisp zip and with banter just as easy and laid back.
Friends arrive so the boy and his Dad put the ball down, greeting them warmly and offering morning cocktails. The empty table they'd set up under the tent quickly fills with food and overflows. Handshakes lead to laughter and stories both true and false.
Both the father and the son call their wives to report the success of the morning gathering and implore them to join in next time.
All too soon, the friends say their goodbyes and help the boy and his Dad pack everything away. The air fills with mist and they can smell the coming rain. The two don't care as they make their way to the excuse for being together again.
Time marches on and things change. Sons and daughters start families of their own and move to distant places. Job and obligations get in the way of family traditions which slowly slip away. New things will take their place.
But not quite yet.
For a little while at least I'm a proud young Father again playing ball with the little boy I love so deeply.
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An eccentric life dotted with eclectic characters pop from the pages of award winning author Micheal Elliott’s newest book Sandy Bottoms & Duct Taped Hearts. His musings immerse you in a world of headshaking wonder, gut wrenching laughter, heart touched tenderness and empathetic tears.
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Never letting the truth stand in the way of a good story, Elliott’s ninth book takes you on a wild journey of “Wow! Really! I can’t believe that!” every day moments. Sandy Bottoms & Duct Taped Hearts exemplifies his gift of capturing common thoughts and painting them perfectly into words.
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