My dad grew up the seventh son of a seventh son. He and his eight brothers and one sister lived in a small railroad apartment in Brooklyn. They were poor. So poor, in fact, that Dad said they couldn’t afford grandparents. Nevertheless, they were happy.
My grandpa Rocky, a war veteran, belonged to the American Legion. Each summer the men chose local boys to attend an overnight camp in New Jersey. My dad had never been to the country, so when he was told that he and his brother, Rocky, were going to camp, he was elated!
Grandma Josephine bought them some new clothes to wear and packed their suitcases. After the long, steamy ride on the bus, they finally arrived at camp. It was exciting for the boys from Brooklyn to be so far from home and in such a beautiful place.
After a full day, some of the campers decided to take a swim in the lake. Dad chose instead to get washed up and dressed for dinner. He was anxious to put on the new suit that his mother had packed for him. When he was alone, he carefully removed it from his case, taking care not to wrinkle it. He scrubbed up, brushed his hair, and got dressed. He felt so proud to be wearing new clothes. Having so many older brothers, he usually wore hand-me-downs. Oh, this suit was something special! It even had pinstripes and piping all around it.
Dad proudly walked out into the camp area to wait for the boys to come back from their swim. After a short while, two of the guys started walking toward my dad. “Hey, Joe, what’s the matter? Don’t you feel well?”
Dad replied, “Sure I do. I’m fine.”
A few minutes later some more of the boys came back. Again, Dad was asked if he felt okay. He replied affirmatively.
Finally, brother Rocky returned, and when he saw Dad, he looked very concerned and asked, “Hey, Joey, what’s wrong with you? You sick or somethin’?”
By now, my father was very perplexed and beginning to get annoyed, he shouted, “I’m fine! Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Because,” Rocky replied, “you’re wearing your pajamas!”