The Story Behind the Tattoo

My Dad

So, it took me until my late 20s to come to terms with parents not being perfect and that the best way is to just take what you can use [their parenting, advice, lessons, etc] and leave the rest ... focus on their positive aspects and not the negative.

That said, I find that I am much like my dad in so many ways. He was very business like, liked getting many things done in the most efficient way, loved working with his hands, building things, cooking and feeding others, helping others, family comes first, do things right the first time, if you see something wrong then fix it without blame and move on.

My mom really had nothing positive to say, so I hung on to every word my dad said, like it was gospel. I got my zest for cooking and working a hard and honest day's work from him. I thank him for that and hope that I passed on my love for cooking and working hard to my kids in a heartfelt fashion. Miss you everyday Dad. Oh yea, he was an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force .... working with his ands, of course!

Lastly, he took my brothers and I to the airport at night. We would sit and watch the end of the planes land and take off. I did the same with my kids. I love the Burbank Airport & still like watching planes land and take off.

1976

On my 18th birthday, 3.31.1975 I started working graveyard at the Jack in the Box in Glendale, on Glenoaks.

After I moved to my Dad's I changed stores and started as shift manager for the graveyard shift; San Fernando Rd & Buena Vista.

During the week of Christmas, someone held me up in the drive-through window. Super scary and boom, I'm traumatized.

My boss would get mad at me, get drunk, then bring his burned face pictures from the ER to show me in his office. My God. After the robbery, I could barely bring myself to go to work at night. Both of the responding officers came in, one said he would check on me if he could use the bathroom [lol] & the other said he would flash his lights as he drove over the tracks and give him a thumbs up if I were okay and thumbs down if I needed him. 😭 [such a contrast to what 5-0 puts me through current day]

One night the latter officer came in, through the drive-thru, and I told him that I needed to talk to him. He came back 10-7 on his lunch and off we went in his patrol car [I got to sit in the front seat] to the all night donut shop on Irving. [why is it that I need permission to leave a job or relationship?]

I told him about my boss's crap and that since the robbery, I was too scared to work at Jack's. He told, so quit and go somewhere else. I told him about my parents divorce and dropping out of school. He then told me step by step, get my diploma, take an aptitude test, go to college; that I was smart and could do anything if I wanted with work.

Right after I went job searching, my gram cashed in my life insurance policies and bought me a VW.

I never saw '76 after that; I thought about him every time I passed a milestone. I should've gone to the station to thank him and keep him updated to let him know what a difference he made in my life. One of my biggest regrets in my life.

Every time I was on the street and I saw an officer I would look to see if it was him.

Yea, I think about him all the time & how I owe him all the credit for my academia and career history. No one will fill his boots that's for sure. He walked like he talked and he walked in the light of God. RIP Sir #NeverEverForgotten

http://bhsinmemoriam.blogspot.com/2015/08/michael-douglas-gough-bhs-1970.html 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭