Dance with my Father
"If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him
I'd play a song that would never, ever end
How I'd love, love, love
To dance with my father again"
"Dance with my father," this was a classic in the year 2003. Music has a way of digging up certain emotions within us that we never knew existed in the first place. This song is far from the usual. Most men who make music with such expression as this usually direct it to a woman.
I've listened to many songs whereby love is expressed towards their mothers—male and female artistes alike. But this is one of the few songs I heard, probably the only, where it is the father that the spotlight is centered on. This song reminds me every time of an amazing dad I have.
Don't get me wrong, I cherish my mom also and can never love her any less. But my dad is like my superhero. When I begin to play the memories I had with him as a kid up until now that I am all grown in my head, there is this unexplainable joy I feel within me. I don't know if it's attributed to the popular belief that girls are closer to their daddies more or something like that.
The thing is that I've engaged in conversations with some of my friends, and often they say how terrible their dad can be sometimes and how difficult it'll be for them to cope if it wasn't for their moms. An example is a situation where their moms have meetings, either business or church, that will require their moms to travel.
They will complain of how they had to cope with the terrible meals their dads fixed up for them while their moms were away. This was when they were still little, though. But it's quite different in my case. My dad is quite an excellent chef. I don't mean to hurt my mom's feelings (hope she's not reading this, lol), but I actually prefer my dad's cooking to hers.
I recall those nights I fell asleep on the couch in the seating room, only to wake up in the morning in my bed. And when I investigate how it happened, I'll find out that is was my dad's doing. This song makes me aware of the amazing father I have and how lucky I am to have him.
Unfortunately, the writer of this song, whose name is Luther Vandross, sang this song with a heaviness of heart because his father was not with him anymore. But I am so lucky that mine is still with me. I see this as a privilege and don't take it for granted.
Sometimes when I listen to this song, I reach out for my dad and put my hand on his shoulder and begin to slow dance with him. I do it unexpectedly which makes him give me a suprised look sometimes and he then asks me, "Everything alright princess?" I'll smile and then reply him, "Everything is perfect."
I may not be the daughter of a King or some billionaire, but if I was to find myself in another world, I'll still chose to be my father's daughter. I love you daddy, this is coming from your baby girl.