Is Heaven Long Distance?

Old Man, I miss you something fierce!
Relax Daddy, everything is fine, I’m just taking a writing class and reminiscing,

and the tears just happened.

(No, it’s not a night class and I don’t have to drive to the university in the dark…it’s on my computer!)
Really Daddy, everything’s fine, go back to feeding the stray cats in heaven

and I’ll tell you why I’ve called out to you.
You know Old Man, I can’t look at my cell phone and not think of you.
No, no, I’m not grumping about how you used to call me ten times a day…

I’m telling you I miss it.
I never thought I would say this, but I miss being your private investigator; when one of your children hasn't returned a call. What I’d give to again be your banker, when you didn’t want Mom to worry about Sylvia’s bills. How perfect it would be, even one last time, to be your cat food Sherpa, replenishing the stock piled Meow Mix,

hidden from Mom in the trunk of your BMW.
Mostly, I desperately miss your voice.

I ache for your daily calls, from the dialysis unit, when you wanted to share the latest morsel of interesting trivia that you had just learned watching the

Discovery Channel.

Remember the day you called me all excited, because you thought you had seen your father,

as a boy, in that documentary on Italian Immigrants and Ellis Island?
But today isn’t about our past conversations, it’s about our future.
And I need to start by telling you something really important.

The night you died…..sorry, sorry, I know it bothers you for us to talk about your illness to strangers or let anyone know that you were sick,

but old man, that cat’s out of the bag!
Anyway, Daddy, the night you died, while the twenty of us were gathered in your hospital room, telling you an earthly goodbye, I heard Mom thank the nurse that was with you both in those last moments. After she accepted Mom’s tearful expression of gratitude, the nurse said,

“Your Domenic seemed like a real fine man; I would have liked to have gotten to know him.”
Without hesitation your bride of sixty-years, responded,

“My Domenic was the kindest man I’ve ever met. You would have been proud to know him.”
Mom was right, and I just want to tell you that I’m so very proud to have known you.
Daddy, I’ve gotta go now and work on this assignment, because it’s already too many words.
What?
Yes Dad, of course Mom is still feeding your stray kitties…even Fraidy Cat,

with the white paws, that hides under the bushes.

I don’t want you to worry anymore, you’ve done your job,

and it’s time for you to rest.

I love you Old Man, and I’ll give you a call later.

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This is assignment 4
Look for the single sentence that surprises you with its beauty, strangeness, or uniqueness. Now branch off with an additional 250 words, a digression,
using that exact sentence or idea as your lead.

The quote is from this essay about Daddy's death:
http://nosomuch.blogspot.com/2009/07/lesson-6-rewrite-old-scene-that-you.html

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"Perhaps one day the preposterous irony of this picture will be a story told without blubbering all over my keyboard?
Perhaps today is the day? "