I know I rarely talk about him. However, I have two great loves because of my dad: football and movies. That's the order he would have it in; I would have it the other way. I will never forget the first movie my dad took my sister and I to King Kong.
My dad is a fan of Westerners. I could catch him watching Ponderosa/Bonanza with the whole Cartwright Clan, The Big Valley, Rifleman..etc. You name it: he's watched it.
The movie theater was located in an old and BIG Cinema Building downtown. Complete with red satin curtains, a winding staircase, and the theater's ambiance blew my mind. Everyone was so quiet. The movie theater's screen seemed nearly 50 feet long. It was BIG.
My dad had us sit in the balcony's first row. He was restless and slightly nervous about "babysitting" us. Why do men say that about their own kids? He said he'd be back. The long red curtains adorned in gold piping touched the floor's bottom and ended right above the movie screen. I couldn't see behind it. I had no idea what to expect.
As I looked over, everyone seemed so far away. They didn't look like ants, but they weren't in my space. My dad returned with a HUGE tub of popcorn and drinks. My sister and I shared it. My dad only wanted a few kernels.
The lights dimmed. My dad folded his arms against him, as if he was taking a nap. As the theater got darker, the curtains started humming and then rose slowly to the sky. I discovered a movie screen larger than the curtains. The projection's lights aimed toward the screen. I watched how the little image reflected light and grew on the screen.
My dad fidgeted in his seat. Then next few hours were a blur for me because I was transported into an incredible story about an ape, a woman, and a ship. I knew this wouldn't happen in a million years. The possibility that it could was exciting. I looked over and saw my dad was still a wake. The movie held his interest. Any other time, my dad would be asleep: he hates going to movies with my mom.
After the movie ended, my dad took us home. It was a nice fall night and my dad said he'd have to take mom to this movie. The breeze blew through the window and I sat back thinking about what I had seen tonight. That night I learned that anything can happen in movies as long as you have a good and solid story to tell. That night, I also learned that my tough-as-nails dad was once a kid just like me. I saw a peek of that side tonight.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Monday, February 28th 2011 at 2:31PM
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