In anticipation of the
upcoming release of my novel, Call Me Daddy, I asked for stories about family:
the fun, the inspirational, the heartwarming moments that make us part of a
family. Author Erica Lucke Dean talks about her dad and his 'affiliation':
I’m pretty sure I have an FBI file. I can only imagine what it says, but there’s
no question in my mind that it exists.
My phones are probably tapped. My
house is probably being watched by one of those spy satellites that stalk
subversives. My name is probably on a TSA watch list. Why? Well, it’s not because I lie about my
weight—I do lie about my weight, but that’s beside the point.
My father, who I love dearly and have the utmost respect
for, is one of the co-founders of a patriots group formed by Tea Partiers in
Pennsylvania. He goes on marches. He has meetings. I don’t know what they talk about at these
meetings, but his wife says she can’t understand them, so I’m guessing they
don’t speak in the same language as the rest of us. I’m not certain, but I
think he may have built a self sustaining bomb shelter in his basement, where
he is cranking out elaborate artillery disguised as reproduction
furniture. I’ve seen the pictures of him
using a sewing machine, but he can’t fool me.
Those weren’t chair cushions he was making. He’s a card carrying member
of the NRA with a framed picture of Charlton Heston hanging over his work
bench—okay, I might be kidding about that—and a permit to carry a concealed
weapon. Something he apparently never leaves home without, because my father is
certain we’re only moments away from the next revolution. And maybe he’s right. Even if he does think
Sarah Palin’s smart.
Dad thinks everyone should be armed—sort of like the old
west, I imagine. Back in the day when
you could shoot a man for looking at your horse funny and it would be
considered a justifiable homicide. My stepmother also has a permit to carry a
weapon, and she carries her gun just in case my dad goes nuts and she has to
take him down. I can’t imagine what sort
of scenario would have to occur for that to happen, but I’m sure she’d be up to
the task if it came to that.
I don’t know exactly when my father became so politically
involved, but I’m not surprised by his “all in” approach. He’s always been a believer in the
philosophy, “if you’re going to do something, you may as well be the best at
it.” I’ve always strived to be the best
at everything I do, and I’m sure that’s something I learned from my dad. I’m a good singer, a pretty good writer, I
bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, and I can’t be beat at trivia. However, none of these things require me to
carry a gun, and that’s probably a good thing, because I’ve never been very
coordinated, and I would probably shoot my toes off or something.
Just for the record—listen up all you FBI guys out there—I
don’t belong to any political groups or clubs. I’ve never been to a rally. I
didn’t even remember to register to vote until last week. Maybe I should get
more involved, but for now I’ll leave that up to my dad. He’s semi-retired, which means he actually
has more jobs than I do, and far more qualified to storm the Bastille than I
am. But mark my words, people, if you see him coming,
you’d better get out of the way!
Follow Erica Lucke Dean at:
www.facebook.com/ericaluckedean
www.Twitter.com/ericaluckedean
https://www.amazon.com/Erica-Lucke-Dean/e/B00CJ3KTA2
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