Saturday afternoon Naps

Afternoon Naps.

As a little child living in Arizona, afternoon naps were the best. I remember Saturday mornings, my dad in his cut off jeans that were splattered with white paint and frayed at the bottom. His brown sperry's that had the same pattern of white paint. A worn t-shirt, usually white that sported his company on the front. This was his Saturday attire which meant that he would be out in the backyard finding something that needs to be fixed, altered or something he went to Home Depot for and came back with a new project.

The mornings would be cool and I would help dig, stand by, or mostly get in the way of my father hauling dirt, rocks, or bricks. I'd do my best to look like I was a big help. As the project wore on the sun started blazing, the flies coming out to bother and the breeze coming to a stop. My father would go in around lunchtime, grab a big glass of water and a bowl of bean soup and sit on the floor in the living room watching football. I distinctly remember his smell, that would be of sweat and some type of soap and look at his hands, white blisters forming from digging a hole. I was so proud of my dad.

As he would finish his lunch, I knew he was going to go back out. Between the football and the exhaustion of sun, a nap was more in my mind then going back out.

My room was purple with a wallpaper border in the middle with dancing bunnies. The room was darker then normal as my dad would go around the house before going out to save energy. My bed, white with ruffles was made and my purple striped pillows sitting nicely on the bed. I would lay down and see the dust float in the room where my blinds let in a little light, rows of dust particles dancing in the light. I could hear the air conditioning click on and my little mermaid sheets clung onto the Johnson Baby shampoo I had used last night. My baby blanket was cool from the air, worn to silk, and I would bury my face into it and breath in the scent of wash detergent. I would hear my mother doing something in the kitchen and I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort. As I would close my eyes, I could hear my father mowing the lawn. Saturday afternoon naps were the best.