Yes, that's my baby, Sarah, gussied up for her senior prom. She was actually born after my first wife and I separated, but she spent nearly every weekend of her life with me until I moved to Mexico, when she was already a teenager and not much interested in wasting her weekend with Papa. She's the only daughter I didn't obtain custody of; my other daughters, Rachel and Keturah, are 29 and 27, respectively.
When a father says his daughters are beautiful he is of course suspect. But I've never had to say of any of them, "she has a good personality." Or, "she has a sweet face." That day may come, but I doubt it. They are a handsome lot and will always be beautiful to me. But unlike some, I have objective proof as well!
Because Sarah is seriously interested in pursuing an acting career, she is committed to staying in the LA area for the foreseeable future. She's the only daughter who hasn't yet been up here to visit me in the redwoods. But I'll be down there for her graduation in June. Meanwhile I haven't heard if she was prom queen; she was nominated. All our lives she and I have had this routine: "Who do you think you are, Queen of the Prom?" To which she responds, "And you're chopped liver!" I think I actually got to show her chopped liver at a deli once. She was thoroughly disgusted, although gastronomically she is the least challenged of my picky-eating progeny.
What I'm most proud of is not Sarah's looks but her humility. Despite her getting nearly all the starring roles she's ever auditioned for in community theater and high school, both musicals and dramas, she doesn't act like a diva. She is truly concerned about others and has a natural compassion. She is also charismatic and always draws a circle of friends around her. And, thanks be to God, she's my one daughter who seems to have been spared any trace of the bipolar gene.
I've written three poems about her but I won't upstage her today by posting one. And, of course, as she was the baby we have the fewest baby pictures of her--about which she has naturally complained.
She's pretty grown-up for 18 and will be seeking her own apartment after graduation. She already has a job.
Here's to you, baby!
Love, Papa (chopped liver)
Your daughter's very beautiful CE. Acting is a hard life for most. But then so is poetry. Maybe there's something in the Chaffin DNA that pre-disposes towards tough gigs?
ReplyDeletenorm
My best friend once said to me: "Most people, if they decide to swim around the Huntington Beach pier, take their time, maybe use a wet suit for warmth and flotation. You rush out in Speedos with ankle and wrist weights. Life isn't hard enough for you."
ReplyDeleteLOL! I'm not as bad now.