A little more than one year after my arm was saved, my mom said that she wanted to talk to me about something. I sat down at our little dining table where she was already sitting. She said to me that her and her boyfriend were going to get married and that he would be my new dad. I was surprised since I really didn’t know how to respond and what to say.
For most of my life up to this time I had not had a real dad. And I did not know my father outside of some pictures my grandma had shown me when I was still living in Western North Carolina. So having a dad was going to be new for me. And instead of calling him by his name I would now assume that he would want to be called by a title that was more endearing. This would be a big change for me.
So, the news of the wedding was announced to the family back in Western North Carolina, and from what I would later learn in my middle teenage years, the announcement was not well received. And I think that I would understand more about family issues when I was a little more mature, and I would understand the family resistance more clearly.
My mom also told me that it would be a small ceremony at a little church. I don’t remember my mom having many friends at that time and I didn’t know that much about her boyfriend. I knew that he helped my mom and he took me places. And he helped me with my arm and my recovery efforts. But I really didn’t know much more about him.
Now that I knew that my mom’s boyfriend was going to be my dad very soon, I began to wonder what kind of dad he would be. Officially, he would be a stepdad. Some of my friends had stepdads and some of them had real dads. And I think I was scared to have a stepdad. I had heard my friends in Western North Carolina tell me that they used to get switched and belted by their real dads. I didn’t know any other boys in Western North Carolina who had stepdads. So, I had nothing to go on.
I remembered my grandpa and how he would teach me new things which were exciting for me as a young boy. But what would my new stepdad teach me? Would he take me fishing, camping, out to sporting events, or other dad son stuff. Or would there be no difference to what I have already experienced with him since we left Western North Carolina. Only time would tell.
On the morning of the wedding, my mom dressed up Las Vegas wedding style. Since it was very warm outside, I remember her wearing a small white lacy dress, white high heel shoes, and a white pearl necklace. She was very pretty. I wore a blue suit and white shirt. My mom bought me a pair of brown penny loafers to wear. My mom’s boyfriend, soon to be her husband and my stepdad, wore a blue suit with a white shirt and a necktie. Everyone looked good in our Sunday best.
The wedding ceremony was conducted in this building that looked like a little miniature ranch like Chapel and was all white in color. It wasn’t a real church the way that I knew what a real church looked like. But this was a well-known place in Las Vegas and many people got married there every day, including some celebrities. This is what I was told. It was on the famed Las Vegas Strip and, if I remember correctly, was surrounded by desert at the time. I don’t remember any other buildings nearby.
There were a few people there but that was it. The ceremony was over quickly. As the ceremony was ending some other people came in and sat down. They were next to get married.
After the ceremony all of us, now a family, went to a nice restaurant to have dinner since we already were dressed up. The food was very, very good. And I was allowed to order a very special dessert. I really didn’t know much about what I did order, but it was going to be a show for me.
The dessert was made with cherries and vanilla ice cream. The waiter came to the table pushing a cart with all the ingredients. He positioned the cart next to the table, so I had the best seat. I noticed that the vanilla ice cream was already in this decorative serving bowl. He then began to put cherries into pan that was over a small cooking plate in the cart. He then poured this liquid into the pan. My eyes opened wide when the pan suddenly exploded in flames and was on fire. The flames were reaching almost to his chin. Wow!
When the fire was gone, he poured the cherries and the sauce from the pan into the bowl with the ice cream. And this dessert tasted incredible. I think this is the moment in my life where my taste in food began to change. And Cherries Jubilee would be the catalyst for my new adventures in food.
I remember wanting to go out more, whenever possible, to taste new culinary delights. And my mom began to make new food offerings at home. And then I started to explore cooking in my own way. I was becoming a little chef.
After dinner we took a drive down the strip to Fremont Street before heading home. The lights of Las Vegas never go out. It is constant and amazingly beautiful. Some would say mesmerizing. It was once said that Fremont Street is just as bright a night as it is during the day. Probably true.
After our celebratory drive to see the Las Vegas lights we headed back home. I was getting pretty tired. It had been a very long day. And I wanted time to do my arm exercises and to squeeze my little red rubber ball before bedtime. This was important to me.
As I lay in bed, I began to wonder what the future would look like now having a mom and a stepdad. I didn’t have much experience with my real dad. And what did dads do? Was I now going to be called son instead of my first name? I wondered about all this as I began to drift off to sleep with the little red rubber ball in my hand. And then I heard my mom say as she was closing my bedroom door,
Sleep well my little survivor…
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