Jo-Jo

Flat Iron Studio by lindsaybayley CC-BY-NC SA

My dad had a childhood friend named Joe. And in true child(ish) fashion, dad would occasionally refer to Joe as "Jo-Jo the Dogfaced Boy," usually at a moment when Joe would be drinking something. This caused milk to spew from his nose, which is a highly desirable sort of outcome if you're a grade school boy. Although dad's and Joe's lives took separate paths starting by high school, they always stayed in touch. We always saw Joe and his family at Christmas and they have continued to look after my grandmother.

Ripley's 0027 by WraithTDK CC-BY-NC-SA

Joe and his wife are retired and like to travel in their RV. It wasn't a complete surprise the other night when they called to tell me that they're staying in a KOA campground not too far from here---they've been wandering about this area in previous years. Still, everytime I hear from them, I can't help but picture the real "dog faced boy."


My dad has been gone more than seven years now, so it is still
nice to have this tie to him...someone who knew him far differently than I. I'll travel to meet Joe and co. later today, have some lunch, reminisce about the past, and plan for the future. And I'll do my best to not have milk come out of anyone's nose.