"Have you checked the oil in the car?" my father used to say to me, his version of "Hello, hope you are well. " Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with one about the1 .
Fathers have a lot of love to give,2 it's often supplied through the medium of 3 advice. In my experience: It's mostly about your motor vehicle.
My student car—an old green Toyota bought for $500—was the vehicle4 his paternal affections. I bet it's5 been so. Back in ancient Rome, the father would test the son on the state of his carriage.
Why can't fathers just say "I love you"or "It's great to see you"? The point is: You just have to6 from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase"I love you" can be 7 in the slightly lengthier "I could come around Saturday and8 the scal (密封圈) around the basic of your toilet because I assume that thing is getting really smelly.
The affectionate phrase "You made my life9 from the moment you were born" may be rarely heard but there is the more 10 "I'll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof. "
When I was 17, I went on my first road trip in that Toyota. My father stood on the corner. "Highways are11 " he raid," so don't try overtaking anything faster than a horse and carriage. And take a break every two12 . And every time you stop for gas, you really should 13 the oil. " At the time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would repeat " horse and carriage" every time I sped up to overtake some other speeding vehicle.
Dad's long gone now. But after all these years, I 14 that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish to English dictionary. I'd have understood that the speech my friend and I so 15 was simply dad's attempt at affection.
