My daughter is getting married in less than two months.
Today is the anniversary of my marriage of thirty-four years. I believe in marriage and am happy for Allison. The journey her mother and I have enjoyed these years has been most excellent.
I will be giving a toast. I am okay with that; indeed, I am honored. I will also be dancing with my daughter, the new bride, in front of everyone. I am less than okay with that. A slow dance, arms draped, feet shuffling, is one thing in high school. But grown ups should know better. I should know better–I should know how to dance. This set me to pondering other things a man should know. I’ve made a short list below.
Ten things a man should know how to do:
- Tie a bow tie.
- Drive a stick shift.
- Make a martini.
- Build a fire.
- Laundry.
- Change a tire.
- Cook a fancy dinner.
- Listen carefully.
- Discuss one important book
-and-
- Dance with his daughter.
...the house I live in... 
I’m glad it’s a short list because I was starting to feel grossly inadequate.
I am sure, Hemingway Fan, that, from what I’ve seen, you make up for it in a multitude of ways.
From the female point of view, I would sacrifice the fancy dinner cooking for two other important male skills, both dealing with homeland security:
1. Get out of bed to confront perceived intruders in the middle of the night.
2. Remove mice/bats/cockroaches/seagulls from the inappropriate places they may have found in one’s home.
On second thought, I forgot you have Lucy to handle those important items. But these would surely apply to non-dog-owning men.
Good luck with the dance lessons. Why don’t you select “Louie, Louie” as your father-daughter dance music? You can just stand there and shake your bootie!