We lost our Mon ten years ago. She was a very attractive, energetic woman, always doing something special, planning some event. Ten years ago she was planning my younger sister’s 6th birthday, when she complained of a sudden sharp headache. The headache persisted the next day, and the usual headache tablets did nothing to help. Dad took her to the emergency room the next evening. She was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm from which she never recovered. She died there at the hospital the next day. Mom was only 32. I was only 8, Roxanne, my sister, was 6, and Brianne, my brother, 4.

Although we were saddened by the loss, it was our father, Brenton who was really devastated. He and mom was a close couple. Dad was somewhat loopy where she was concerned. He was always kissing and hugging her, always bringing home little gifts, including a puppy, for her. They were both immigrants from the Caribbean - Mom was from St. Lucia and Dad from St. Vincent. They met at the immigration offices in Miami when they were both there for their respective citizenship interviews.

However, after Mom passed, Dad, although he was in a lot of pain, did not give in to the awful situation. Instead he called us and said, “Kids, your Mom is gone to a higher ground, but her spirit will always with me, and together she and I will still give you a happy life.” He has been totally committed to these words.

When Mom was alive, Dad was a real couch potato. He and Mom reminded me of the comic strip characters, ‘Dagwood and Blondie.’ He was always lying on the couch watching some sports program on TV, while Mom was doing something around the house, begging him to do one chore or the other. However, after she left, he truly became Mr. Mom. He has been consistently and extremely dedicated to all three of us.

Dad, who hardly knew how to turn on the stove when Mom was here, is now a very good cook. He bought cookbooks and prepares delicious meals, especially Caribbean dishes. He also bakes well. Last Christmas, he baked the Christmas cakes. He could easily get a job as a senior chef at a five-star hotel. But, he also taught us to cook and now, all us, including my fourteen year-old brother, are good cooks.

That’s what so unique about our Dad. He not just learned to do things for us, including braiding Roxanne’s and my hair, but he taught us how to do these things. His message to us is, “You never know when the day will come, when you will be on your own.”

He was particularly sensitive to Roxanne and me. As we both approached puberty, Dad was not shy to teach us the facts of life. He even bought us videos, and pointed us to websites that educated us about the changes in our bodies as we got older; and the responsibilities that young women has to uphold as their bodies changed. He always made himself available to discuss those issues that confused us as we grew older, especially as they related to boys.

But the subject of boys is really another matter. Every boy who comes near me, especially if he is brave enough to visit my home, goes through a strict interview with my dad. They also have to adhere to a dress code. No boy with pants riding on his hips, or wearing unbuttoned shirts can cross our door. My brother, Brianne, always looks like he is modeling for GQ as Dad insists he dresses with care and taste.

Last week was my high school Prom, and Dad put my escort through a very intense inquisition, before agreeing for him to escort me. But all my friends, both girls and boys, respect Dad to the hilt. They all know that he only wants the very best for us, and we have no intention of disappointing him, because he has made so many sacrifices over the past ten years for us, his three children.

The greatest sacrifice that dad has made, is to forgo any romantic relationship since Mom passed. Now, I think my dad is a hunk. He is tall, dark, bald-headed, and yes, he is handsome. When we go to church the single women are always trying to get close to him. When, I asked him recently, why he never dates, he told us that would be unfair to Mom’s memory. He still wears his wedding ring. He also said that he would not think of another relationship until Brianne is eighteen, and we area all independent. Well, Dad will be 52, when Brianne becomes 18, so I hope that he will not be too old then.

As we celebrate this mother’s day, we are still feeling the pain of our mother’s passing, but we also give much thanks and appreciation to our dear father. For the past ten years he has also been a very good, very dear father to us. Thanks Daddy, our mom.