(A note to my child before you arrive.)
Dear Kid,
Remember, before you see me again, I'm a 55-year-old divorced man.
This means, firstly, that good hygiene is merely a suggestion at this point. And "good" is a subjective term anyway.
Just because something smells doesn't mean a good schmear of Ben-Gay liniment can cover that up. Again. And again. And again.
I'm bearded right now which is not out of preening or prowling. It's just pure laziness. You see a man reaches an age where he attempts to determine the least he can possibly do to be considered socially acceptable. Even these will dissipate over time.
If young people can wear expensive pre-ripped jeans, I can wear cheap pants I've ripped myself. At my age, they're no longer called "rips." They're called ventilation.
I bought a goat to help control the lawn but one night I arrived home to find no food in the fridge. But I had Goat Helper in the pantry. Hence goat no longer.
My plumber found my cat in the shower drain. I said, "I don't have a cat." He said, "Dude, you've lost a lot of hair."
That is not blood spatter on the wall. I was drinking gravy when I had to sneeze. Now I tell visitors it's modern art.
I've had no visitors.
And it's no secret in our family that I drink gravy. "Hi, my name is Rich. I drink gravy." (Your mother's attorneys had a heyday with this. My attorney refused thereafter to make eye contact with me.)
It might appear I have used underwear hanging from pegs on the bedroom wall.
I have no pegs.
It might appear I have some raised beds in the back yard. They are not -- are not -- shallow graves. You need plausible deniability at this point. Also, unless you have a recording of me saying it, I never said, "One man's torso is another man's friend."
Erase that recording.
"Road kill" can also mean "fresh," "tenderized" and "Wisconsin Waygu."
I have something stuck under my finger nails. It smells like pickled pig's feet. I'll let you judge.
If we walk into area establishments and the immediate response is, "You're not allowed in here anymore" -- that is my new legal name.
Above all, remember that I love you and can't wait to see you.
Yours,
Dad.
I wish peace and love unto all of you my brothers and sisters.