Hey, Baby...

Those two words start every conversation with my dad. You would be amazed how many different ways a person can say "Hey, baby" and many emotions they reveal. For instance, there is the perky "Hey, baby" which leads me to know that dad is in a good mood, things are going well. Then there's the rushed, slightly edgy "Hey, baby" that means - look, I'm busy. Say what you've gotta say and get the heck off the phone. I feel the love. But then there's the sad, almost whiney "Hey, baby". THAT'S the one you have to look out for. No good can come of a conversation that starts that way. This means that there is doom, gloom and destruction happening around him. There are times when I feel that surely someone must have died to give him that tone and it's usually that business wasn't great that week at the deli or something equally un-dramatic. Today I got that version of "Hey, baby" and braced myself. He was sick this week with an illness that no doctor can diagnose. Okay. By tonight, he'll be out clubbing and partying like it's 1999!