Ring, Ring

For twenty or more years, I have known this phone call was coming. Yet, last Sunday I didn’t know how to handle it. Our conversation went something like this:

Ralph: Hi, Jason what’s up?
Jason: Well. . . the Lakers are playing.
Ralph: What are the Lakers?

Long pause.

Ralph: Jason, I know who the Laker’s are. They didn’t make it to the Super Bowl.

Another long pause.

Ralph: Okay. I know who the Lakers are. What’s up?
Jason: Not much.
Ralph: Okay.
Jason: Well, I guess I would like to uh. . . to uh. . . . to uh. . . to give Tiff a ring.
Ralph: A friendship ring, right?
Jason: A friendship for life ring.


Okay – this guy is good. He reminds me of someone else a few years back.

Here is where my breathing became shallow and rapid. My heart rate increased to that a marathon runner. Like I said, for over twenty years I’ve known this conversation was coming, I had thought about it from time to time, and I still didn’t know how to handle it.

I told Jason I married Char because I really, really loved her and was certain she was the only one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Jason said those were the same reason he wanted to marry my daughter – my ONLY daughter.

I welcomed him to the family.

But there is a problem. Char and I have spent time with Jason and he is a nice guy – for someone who wants to marry my daughter. The problem is this - I have written about Jason before and referred to him a FOR (Friend of Ralph). I will have to change his name. He will now be known as SILOR (pronounced sigh-lor). SILOR (Son in Law of Ralph) has a nice ring to it. . . for a guy who wants to marry to my daughter.