Chickicago

When Dad was home, he played sports and games with us and he'd make up amusing stories that captured our attention and fed our imagination. His infectious laugh inspired laughter from everyone in earshot.

He made up his own funny language that he used when he talked to his kids, substituting “Chickicago” for Chicago and “b-sketty” for spaghetti. He’d call us “Pebbs” and “Bamms” (after the Flintstone children). When frustrated, he invented names like “Sammy Bonehead,” or “lunkhead.”

He said that he loved us “50-40” which was the ultimate measurement of love for him. Although I’m not sure why he used those numbers, we knew what he meant. As I began liking girls in my early teen years, he’d tease me about “mini-babes.” Of course, he was referring to cute girls that were “just my size.”