Lebanon, TN
The AC That Wasn't Broken
We met up in Lebanon, TN with a roof-mount AC unit Dad had bought from Camping
World in Nashville. We got it up on top of the truck and bolted down, but didn't
have everything needed to finish the install. Dad kept working on it solo as he
ran his route, picked up the missing parts, and still couldn't get it to blow cold
— convinced by that point the unit itself was defective. Turned out one of his
grandsons stopped by, took one look, and found Dad just wasn't turning the knobs
far enough to kick it into AC mode.
— Jeff Will
Lebanon, TN
The Cup That Proved Nothing Went to Waste
Stephanie and I met Dad in Lebanon, TN while he was out on a local delivery. We
grabbed dinner at a favorite spot, then went for ice cream at a drive-in after.
Steph ordered a piece of chocolate cake that turned out to be roughly five pounds
of cake and ice cream — Dad and I got a medium mix of vanilla and Butterfinger, and
actually finished ours. Steph couldn't finish hers, so we scraped the leftovers into
Dad's empty medium cup, which he saved in the fridge in his truck. The next day I
got a picture of that same cup — completely empty. Nothing goes to waste.
— Jeff Will
Nashville, TN
"That's Just a Topping"
For my birthday a few years back, Dad drove down from Illinois and the three of us
— Steph, Dad, and me — went to Sinatra's, a nice restaurant in Nashville. We hadn't
bothered checking the menu ahead of time; we were going for the experience, whatever
the price turned out to be. When we got there, all three of us were a little rattled
by it. Dad was eyeing the mushrooms on the menu, sure he was about to order a steak
with mushrooms — until we pointed out the mushrooms were just a topping, not a
separate dish. We still laugh about that little giggle. It was a genuinely great
night, and I was so grateful he made the drive.
— Jeff Will
Middle & East Tennessee
Buying a Sleeping Bag to Sleep Next to the Harley
I invited Dad on a motorcycle trip — rented Harleys out of Franklin, TN. He'd never
ridden a Harley, and I'd only rented one myself once before. We planned a couple of
days around Middle Tennessee, but our eyes got bigger than our schedule. When we were
supposed to be back for dinner, Stephanie called to check in — I'd shared my location,
so she could see exactly how far off script we'd gone. We were sitting in a parking
lot somewhere in East Tennessee, and Dad was seriously talking about buying a sleeping
bag so we could camp next to the bikes and keep riding at first light. We ended up
riding all the way back to the Nashville area that night, then headed out early the
next morning to explore more of Tennessee before turning the bikes in.
— Jeff Will
Pinckneyville, IL
Soot on the Church Clothes
We went to Pinckneyville, IL for the farm show and stayed in a camper and tents
under a barn. I was young — I don't remember how old — but I remember it was a
Sunday, and we never missed church for any reason. We were getting ready to go when
Dad went to start the old 1964 International with the 310 turbocharged German
Diesel in it, the one with stacks for exhaust on the side. The truck had been
sitting out in the rain, and the rain had gone down those stacks. When Dad started
it up, I happened to be standing right in line with that exhaust — and ended up with
wet soot all over my church clothes.
— Jeff Will
Teutopolis, IL
Saturday Mornings at Mass
Many Saturdays growing up, Dad and I would go into his work and do odd jobs. Before
we went, we'd always stop at Saturday morning Mass in Teutopolis. It seemed like only
a handful of people ever showed up for the morning service, but we were always there.
If the Brother came out needing an altar boy, I'd go get dressed and serve so he
didn't have to. Afterward we'd usually swing by King's Country Kitchen for a cinnamon
roll. I went to a school the church owned, so I was already at Mass most weekday
mornings, plus Sunday — I knew that church inside and out. But it's those Saturday
mornings with Dad I remember more than all the rest.
— Jeff Will