Ghosts on Father's Day

Dad, I worked in the yard most of the day lifting heavy rocks and rearranging earth to keep the tomato plants flourishing. The flowers are vivid with color and it looks like the hostas are ready to be split. You were on my mind much of the time in the hot sun today making me laugh with memories of your hot headedness back in the day when I thought you were a mean old man for grounding me and the time you saved my life from a serious car accident due to a psychic hunch.

Dad, Aunt Bertha popped in while I was showering the mud off my legs but it wasn't until I had my eyes closed and shampoo bubbles were sliding down my neck when my mind's eyes saw her as a young woman. Not the way we remember her with the humped back and black patch over one eye. She was still skinny as a rail, there weren't any cats but she was with Grandma Della holding their stomachs and chuckling about something funny. I wondered if they knew I could see them like a spy peeking into their new dimension.  It didn't click then why I saw them until we were eating dessert tonight after dinner at your house. Banana pudding with vanilla wafers is something I haven't had in years even though I know that recipe by heart.   I wanted to make some but we ran out of time.

"Your Grandma used to make the exact same dessert, do you remember that?" mom asked me. "She sure loved her vanilla wafers." Dad, I should have told you that I saw Aunt Bertha and Grandma especially today since it's Father's Day. They wanted to say hi, give you a salute and the only way they could do it between worlds was with banana pudding I guess. I wanted to tell you. You think that stuff is weird, so I didn't.

  Happy Father's Day, I love you and so does your mom and your aunt. They're having a good time.