The board meeting had come to an end. Bob stood up, jostled the table, and spilled his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing. I'm getting so clumsy in my old age."
Everyone laughed, and soon we were all sharing stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank, who had been sitting quietly. Someone said, "Come on, Frank. Tell us yours."
Frank smiled and began his story. "I grew up in San Pedro. My dad was a fisherman who loved the sea. He had his own boat, but making a living was hard. He worked tirelessly, staying out until he caught enough to feed not just our family, but also his parents and siblings."
"I wish you could have met him," Frank continued. "He was a big, strong man from hauling nets and battling the waves. He always smelled of the ocean. He wore an old canvas foul-weather coat, bibbed overalls, and a rain hat pulled low. No matter how much my mother washed them, they retained the scent of salt and fish."
Frank's voice softened. "On bad weather days, he'd drive me to school in his ancient fishing truck. It was older than he was, wheezing and rattling down the road. You could hear it for blocks. As we approached the school, I'd sink into my seat, wishing to vanish. He'd often screech to a halt, the truck belching smoke right in front of the school, where it seemed everyone was watching. Then he'd lean over, give me a big kiss on the cheek, and tell me to be a good boy. I was twelve, and it was mortifying."
He paused. "I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. We stopped at school, and he smiled as usual, leaning in. I put up my hand and said, 'No, Dad.' It was the first time I'd spoken to him like that. His face showed surprise.
"'Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm too old for any kiss,' I said.
"My father looked at me for a long time, his eyes filling with tears—something I'd never seen before. He turned to look out the windshield. 'You're right,' he said quietly. 'You are a big boy... a man. I won't kiss you anymore.'"
Frank's expression grew distant, his eyes glistening. "Not long after that, my dad went out to sea and never returned. It was a day most boats stayed in port, but he had a large family to feed. They found his boat adrift, nets half in the water. He must have been caught in a gale, trying to save his gear."
Tears streamed down Frank's cheeks. "Guys, you don't know what I'd give to have my dad kiss me just once more on the cheek... to feel his rough face, smell the ocean on him, feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had, I would never have told him I was too old for a goodbye kiss."