"A Movie Kind of Love" (Part Two)

 

"A Movie Kind of Love"  (Part Two)

By Gil Tisnado

Our newest contributor to the Galaxy Nostalgia Network blog posts, Gil Tisnado, shares with us part two of his premier story.

In 2014, I was driving alone from Las Vegas to Laughlin. I opened the sunroof and enjoyed the desert heat. The Nevada desert reminded me of the many trips that Bill, my soon-to-be stepdad, and I used to take when we commuted regularly between Las Vegas and San Diego in ’61. We were living in Vegas so Mom could fulfill the six-week residency requirement for her Nevada divorce from my dad.

Our ’56 white Ford station wagon had no air conditioning, and we were constantly wind-whipped by the hot desert wind, but still managed to laugh and share good times. A special treat was to always stop in Baker for homemade Strawberry pie. Once in San Diego, we would pick up Bill’s unemployment check and then go to lunch and a movie without any of the girls to influence our choice.

Over forty years later, I reflected on these times and had a desert epiphany. Driving on Highway 95 to Laughlin, it suddenly hit me and had to pull over to the very next rest stop. I called my mom and spoke rapidly into the phone, “Hey Mom! I think I just had an epiphany about Bill.”

 She asked, “What are you talking about?”

I continued, “Remember how Bill and I used to take all those trips to San Diego from Vegas? Well, I was just thinking about Bill so strongly. I was thinking about him dancing with you, all the times I used to hang out with him at his work, and all the endless conversations we had together. I realized he was more than a stepdad. He was my pal. And Mom, I finally figured out something—that so much of who I am is because of Bill—our irreverent sense of humor, our mutual appreciation and respect for women, and our positive view of life.  I just can’t believe it’s taken me over forty years to realize this! And yet, if you think about it, Bill was actually only in our lives for about ten years.”

It started to get very hot in that Nevada rest stop, but Mom and I continued to reminisce about Bill over the phone. We recalled the ten years of good times, the one-liners, laughter, and of course—the dancing. We said our goodbyes and I continued my desert trip—thinking of his huge impact and influence on my life—and how much I still missed and loved that man.