for the longest time he was the kind i just didn t understand hard to read hard to please yeah that was my old man on the day i left i for college it was nothing new we never had that heart to heart he had too much to do he checked the air in my tires the belts and all the sparkplug wires said when was the last time you had this oil changed and as i pulled out the drive he said be sure and call your mom sometime i didn t hear it then but i hear it now he was saying i love you the only way he knew how a hundred twenty thousand miles and 6 years down the road brand new life brand new wife we just bought our first home when he finally came to visit i thought he d be so proud he never said he liked the place he just got his tool belt out and put new locks on the doors went back and forth to the hardware store said come and hold this flashlight as he crawled beneath the sink these old wires aren t up to code and that circuit box is gonna overload and i didn t hear it then but i hear it now he was saying i love you the only way he knew how last sunday we all gathered for his 65th birthday and i knew he d stiffen up but i hugged him anyway when was finally time to say goodbye i knew what was next just like he always did right before he left he checked the air in my tires the belts and all the sparkplug wires said when was the last time you had this oil changed and as i pulled out the drive he said be sure to call your mom sometime and i wish i knew back then what i know now he was saying i love you the only way he knew how