Allow me to introduce you, ladies and gentleman, to the man behind the curtain. The reason I am who I am today. The hilarious, huge heart that is Scott Lucchesi. Aside from the humble, deliberate and considerate kindness of my father, he's absolutely kickass. My dad is the type of man who does absolutely everything for everyone. He ensured that mine and my sister's childhood was amazing, every last detail was impeccable and it's time he got some credit for it. (And this is where I mention that while I have an amazing mother, this article is a thank-you from a Daddy's girl, sorry mom. Promise you'll get a prompt or poem sometime here soon!)
Every birthday he would always start calling me “Birthday girl” at least a week early to start making a production of it, and he helped to plan and throw the most elaborate of slumber parties. Dad made sure that by the fifth grade, an invitation for one of my sleepovers was like a Willy Wonka Golden ticket, because my parties were A-list.
I would walk downstairs on Christmas morning to a downright theatrical spread of eaten reindeer food and Santa cookies, not to mention the notes from the big man himself (of course, written by my old man who created a unique handwriting for each imaginary childhood idol, though it was obvious he struggled with the Tooth Fairy persona).
Every Friday morning on our way to school he would stop and get my sister and I Krispy Kreme doughnuts (and of course, chocolate milk, as if regular milk would have ruined our whole day) and he always made sure we got to do our doughnut day, even if he would be late to work.
When I hopelessly failed at playing soccer (like scoring goals for the other team, I was that bad), he got me into swimming, which I was actually very good at, but still didn’t like, so he signed me up for an acting class. I loved it. He can still remember and recite today the few lines I had in my first performance.
He would always randomly come home with candy or some small thing for my sister and I to eat, that caused him the slightest bit of joy, even if we barely noticed.
We sometimes watch "Saturday Night Live" together and imitate the characters who imitate other people, just because we’re funny people and we make each other laugh.
As I grew up, he never missed a chance to watch or cheer for me in my latest interest. Disgustingly cheesy chorus concerts, excruciatingly lame school plays, painfully repetitive cheerleading outings; dad was there with an intrigued stare at every single one.
My dad always pays attention when I talk, even if I talk for a long time, and he really does listen to what I have to say. Whether I’m updating him on the hijinks of my ridiculous friends, or complaining about how there's never enough Ginger ale in the house, he listens. Not only does he listen, but the next day I’ll come home to a case of Ginger ale and he’ll ask if so-and-so did that stupid funny thing again today. He always thinks of others.
I feel like I can come to my father with any and everything and he would either help me get through it with ease, or help me get out of it with grace. He always reminds me of my accomplishments; he gives me confidence when I feel like I shouldn’t have any. Even when I don’t listen to him, even when I go against his advice, even when he has everything else in the world to do, when I’m unappreciative and ungrateful, he is there with open arms. And the most astounding part, my dad never really asks for anything in return. I’m pretty sure he’s one of those people who's had bad luck in life, and has every reason to just elude himself from the world around him, but for whatever miraculous reason, he just keeps on giving. Giving support, motivation and memories to me since the day I was born. I can only imagine all the beautiful things he has given to other people (material and immaterial) that were taken for granted. I pray that one day he gets a thank you letter from all the people throughout his life whom he has touched, even in the smallest of ways, because I believe with my whole heart that there’s a lot of them.
I really do hope that my dad gets a huge payoff one day, be it an amazing life experience, maybe a lottery or just a genuine gift from the world. He deserves it more than anything, because he has truly given me everything.
