Sqaure Deal Dan

May 30th, 2010 - By j guevara

Square Deal Dan, The Workin’ Man’s Friend. That’s what his friends called him. I really miss the ol’ dude, but Memorial Day being his birthday, I’m reminded of him every year around Indy 500 time. A lot of guys, I’m sure, can relate to a ’square deal’ in their lives. Here’s my eulogy for him.

He bought me my first glove
Though my hand was ten sizes too small
Then took me in the yard
And pitched me my first baseball.

It was a mighty slider, a hundred miles an hour
…it hit me in the face
But in his typical encouragement he said
“Son, you’ll never make first base”

He tried to teach me boxing
But his hands were just too fast
“If you live to be a hundred,” he warned
“You’ll never kick my ass”

With my busted nose and swollen lip
Wasn’t much I could say
Never did learn to box
Still can’t to this day.

He loved to sprint, so we’d get down
Never could beat him out of the hole
Probably ’cause with no starting gun
Only he was allowed to say, ‘GO!’

Couldn’t beat him at horseshoes either
Just couldn’t make a ringer.
And I was ten years old before I learned
Not to pull his finger

At body and fender he was a craftsman
The last of a dying breed
Being his apprentice, I got to sand all the cars
‘Til my hands would bleed

One day he said I was old enough to smoke
But don’t tell your brother.
How open-minded, I thought, then lit up
And he went and told my mother

And if I got in trouble
I could count on him to understand
“Too damn bad,” he’d say
“Now take it like a man”

Never did take to sports or cars
My hand never fit wrench or glove
But in my heart I always knew
That’s how he expressed his love

Here’s to you Dad
I’ll never forget
Right to my livin’ end
To me you’ll always be
Square Deal Dan
…The workingman’s friend

Years by, he never failed to remind me, “I wrote the goddamn book you live by.” I agreed, never doubted, but I never failed to remind him, “Yeah dad, but I’m the one that got it published.”
Cheers

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