Crab Meets Lion

Hotep,

Once again the month of July is upon us.  The 7^th month of the year is most indicative of the summer season.  It has always been a blessing to my physical existence, from the time of my birth (7/22/68), to this present date, especially since the incarnation of my “Summer Breeze” on 7/20/12.  July will always be a landmark month for me.  Na mean?

My granddaughter, Daleah Janeice Mann, a.k.a., “Tear,” is physically unable to know the warmth of her G-Dad’s embrace, but if I were able to sit at her bedside and tell her a story of her lineage, it would go something like this:

My dad, Leroy E. Mann Sr., was born under the astrological sign of Cancer (7/3/42).  Your great-grandmother tried her hardest to make my birth the perfect birthday gift for a father expecting his first child, but you G-Dad - being the Mann that he is – showed up 19 days later.  I was born on the last day of Cancer (7/22), and on the cusp of Leo (7/23).  Your G-Dad was destined to be an enigma.

Your G-Dad was born with asthma.  Animal dander would send me into an asthmatic fit.  So, my grandparents’ house pets, Chip (dog) and Frisky (cat) were totally off limits to me.  I can still recall those dismal trips to the emergency room.  Cough syrups, inhalers and Vick’s Vapor rub were staples in my earliest years of existence.  SMH.

Yeah, Baby girl, your G-Dad’s first few years of this life were touch and go.  Word is bond!  But, I guess I was around 6 or 7 years old when my asthma appeared to fall back – giving my respiratory system a much-needed break.

I don’t remember how, or exactly when, but this beautiful eggshell colored German shepherd became a fixture in my childhood.  Tito was the undisputed protector of our fam. Ya heard?  He lived in our basement, but the mailman and anybody else approaching the residence of 850 N. 6^th Street knew of his presence.  Na mean?  He was a mean dog Baby Girl, but he took care of his fam.  If you lived in 850, Tito had your back.  I don’t recall having an asthma attack while Tito was living with us.  Real talk.

His defining moment of loyalty arrived when I was standing on the banks of the Schuylkill River – feeding the ducks.  The ducks came so close.  Close enough that they were eating the popcorn kernels out of the palm of my hand.  The hungry pecks to my palm heightened the adventurous spirit of your G-Dad.  I lost my footing when I reached out to touch one of the hungry specimens before me.

The splash fell on deaf ears and my sights were set on the webbed feet of the duck, vigorously paddling above me.  I don’t remember a feeling of panic – only the act of reaching for the webbed feet above me.  That could’ve easily been the end of your G-Dad’s presence in this world, Baby Girl.  Overcoming asthma, only to fall at the webbed feet of a duck just wasn’t how my story was meant to be told.  Feel me?

The powerful jaws of a wet, eggshell colored German shepherd grabbed the sleeve of my sweatshirt and pulled me to safety.  How or why this scenario played out the way it did, is secondary to the grateful feeling I have to live for more than 4 decades to tell about it.  Na mean?

 

The moral of the story is:

When you begin to understand your earliest memories, you’ll realize that your purpose, in this life, has driven your entire existence.  Tito pulling me from the Schuylkill River made way for the physical existence of your daddy; your older brother and now you Tear.  Your one-year milestone is engraved in the heart of your G-Dad.  Someday, I hope this particular story will do the same for you.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!

Much Love,

MannofStat, a.k.a., G-Dad

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann