Several years ago, my father was very excited that a Medieval Times was opening so close my house. His intention was to take our entire family as soon as it opened, as it had been for many years a highlight of his to attend a lunch and show with his history students. My dad was a history teacher/lover/major/fanatic. In fact, most of our family vacations centered around some historical landmark or battle. My parents even honeymooned in Plymouth, MA. If you don't know anything about Plymouth, shame on you!! I won't bore you with all the details I've learned about it from my beloved father.
When Medieval Times first opened in NJ, my father couldn't have been more excited. He meticulously devised plans each year to take his entire middle school team to this glorious production. As spring approached, that is all we would hear about right down to the movie selections they would be watching in the bus on the way to the show. (My father was media driven - have you gathered that already?) When they would return, my father would spend weeks talking about what a success the trip was, despite cranky bus driver, non-functional bus VCR's, rowdy middle schoolers or anything else that might have dissuaded other teachers from pursuing such a trip year after year. Not my dad. There was no way in the world that you could keep him from his Medieval Times trip.
It wasn't until after my father died that I truly realized the obsession it was for him. I think my mom had a clue, as she was forced to attend Medieval Time on their Las Vegas trip. Imagine her grief and despair when she had sent him out to secure "show" tickets only to have him return with tickets to a "show" he had seen numerous times. Eating greasy food with her hands while everyone pounded on the tables until her soda fell in her lap was definitely not her idea of a night out in Las Vegas! I guess that's why he knew enough to hide his coveted picture of himself and the teacher's on his team donning their Medieval Times crowns in his closet! Yup, yup, that's where I found it. Way in the back of his closet in an old leather bathroom bag along with some pictures of old girlfriends, a couple of my mom there was this picture.
It was totally an obsession for him and he was so excited to share it with all of us. Lucky for him, my mother had already chosen to babysit for us so she would not have endure another evening of revelry! Unfortunately, my father died before our Medieval Times opened. Once it did, my brother, his wife and T and I took up my mother's offer and witnessed for ourselves what my father so thoroughly enjoyed - a night in history. We enjoyed it, but marveled at my father's undying love for watching acted out "sport" his entire life. Once was enough for us, but true to his nature, he loved the show.
I think my dad was one of those people who would have fared quite well had he been born in an earlier generation. I've never met anyone who loved living out history as much as my father. It's too bad much of what he rambled on about - Greek gods, ancient Egypt, Israel, the Roman Empire, Babylonia - never really stuck in my memory in detail. Just glimpses here and there, enough to make me want to go see King Tut in Philadelphia, but not enough to know anything about him! Whenever I hear of something of historical significance, like a trip to see King Tut or Medieval Times, my mind is flooded with my dad and his huge grin whenever he spoke of such things. Now that is passion!
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