WORD

deborah-shepherd

Word

My cousin Bobby can read. I can’t, and it breaks my heart. He’s six. I’m four.

My father’s giving us a ride in his brand new 1951 Plymouth. We’re driving on a familiar thoroughfare near our apartment in Queens when Bobby calls me a baby and I start to cry.

My father takes one hand off the wheel and points to the right:

“What’s that billboard say, Debbie?”

I sniffle, but crow through my tears: “Dugan Brothers, Bakers for the Home!”

That shuts Bobby up but good.

I’ve been in love with the power of the written word ever since.

One thought on “WORD”

Comments are closed.