James Pulley

NOVEMBER DAD

The earliest memory I had of him was June in Raleigh,

North Carolina. We went to visit his mom.

He was adopted and he always told me he felt close to her.

He took me fishing, driving for a little bit and we caught supper.

He was about 6 foot one and had dimples that he gave to me.

It was October and Mattapan was our first house and we lived upstairs from my aunt.

I remember the Halloween party and we bobbed for apples

and he didn’t bob ‘cause it was a kid thing.

Him and mom organized.

He laughed, took pictures and enjoyed himself—

and so did I.

He worked in a paper factory and left every day and

in August would bring home ice cream from

Seymours next door to his work.

He liked orange sherbet and I liked chocolate.

I still like chocolate and he probably still likes sherbet but I don’t really know.

We moved in May and for 7 or 8 years lived in Dorchester. It

was better and we were happier there, that is

the kids. Me, Jamal, and Shauna were happier.

Mom and Dad seemed to be fighting a lot. I was at my cousins’ house and

I would come home in

the middle of a July afternoon and they would be fighting.

He always said no matter what we fight about it’s not about you kids.

Mom and Dad didn’t

organize anymore. He didn’t take pictures. He didn’t enjoy himself.

He would spend a couple of

days at Bernie’s house in September, we wouldn’t see him, and

then he would come and talk. We

would be happy to see him and I thought he’d be staying but

the fighting would start again.

Now the ice cream was from the supermarket and my mom would get it not him.

This time he went to Bernie’s and didn’t come back. That was in December.

We started to get our stuff

together in January as my mom got really aggravated and

we ended up moving in February. In

March we were at the new house and I had to say goodbye to the “FAB” gang. The kids that kept me happy. April brings Jamal’s birthday and there was no dad.

Two more seasons passed and still no dad.

In November he called, had a new place and we visited him and we had a good time.

Later in November I even went to work with him.

It’s now spring and six months later, alone, I still remember my November dad.