Short Story

A Daughter’s Memory

The Sicilian Storyteller
My Dad, Vito Schembre, circa 1940 © NAR

The idea of Father’s Day was first conceived by Sonora Smart Dodd, a loving daughter from Spokane, Washington. It was also inspired by Mother’s Day as Dodd wanted a day to honor her father as well.  William Jackson Smart was a Civil War veteran and single-handedly raised Sonora and her siblings after the death of their mother. 

My dad was a Sicilian immigrant who came to the US by boat in 1930 at the age of 15. He arrived with his father and two brothers 
 one older and the other younger. His mother and sister remained in Sicily for another few years; according to my grandfather, “America is no place for a woman”.

None of them spoke a word of English.

My father was an apprentice shoemaker in Sicily who took up barbering after getting settled in Brooklyn, NY. His good looks and charm endeared him to many people and he was liked by everyone.

It was my dad’s boss at the barbershop who gave him a brilliant piece of advice. As was his habit, my father bought the Italian newspaper every day to read during his down time at work. One day the boss said to him in Italian “Hey, Vito! If you ever hope to speak English, do yourself a favor and start buying the New York Times every day and read it from front to back.” My father realized the importance of that advice and started buying the NY Times the very next day. With the added help of his English-speaking customers, he became fluent in English and lost his accent with no formal schooling. One of the proudest moments in his life was completing the NY Times crossword puzzle 
 in ink!

Dad became a US citizen and eventually landed a job with the post office. He was a US Army veteran who drove a jeep throughout Europe during WWII without ever having earned a driver’s license. He never did get his license and never drove again after his stint in the army.

My father loved music, especially opera, and I was exposed to classical music and opera at a very early age. The basics in life were Dad’s tenets 
 family, God, country, his job, providing a roof over our heads, food on the table and a good education. He was also the fun-loving one, with Mom always busy “cleaning up his messes”.

Dad loved people and entertaining in our home. He would often invite people for dinner without clearing it with Mom first. No wonder she was always pissed off! Dad was often in trouble for that and I found that devilish quality one of his most endearing traits. He truly meant no harm. He was a good and decent man who loved and was loved in return. And in the end can any of us want more than that?

Happy Father’s Day to all my guys on WordPress. I hope your day is as special as you are.

NAR©2024

This is “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh my dear daddy”) performed by RenĂ©e Fleming

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

42 thoughts on “A Daughter’s Memory”

  2. What a lovely tribute to your dad! His struggle is appreciable. No wonder, done of his genes, especially of music, have been passed on to you. You were lucky to have such a great father.💖💖

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  5. NANCY ~

    This was a beautifully written Father’s Day tribute! Your Dad, and your love and respect for him really come through.

    >… “He was a good and decent man who loved and was loved in return. And in the end can any of us want more than that?”

    That line immediately made me think of the song ‘Nature Boy’ by Nat King Cole:

    In fact, NKC was my own Pa’s favorite singer, and ‘Nature Boy’ is probably my favorite of Nat’s songs. My Pa passed on in 1996, but on numerous occasions he has let me know, through the music of Nat King Cole, that he is still very much alive. Someday, I should write up one of those stories on one of my old blogs.

    Previously I input some info that was supposed to result in my being informed when you post something new, but the system apparently is not working. Unfortunately, WordPress and Blogger are not really compatible, so I have similar problems with other bloggers I follow who also use WP.

    ~ D-FensDogG

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  9. He was a handsome man, indeed.

    My father used to do that to my mother, too. Invite without asking first. Drove her batty!

    Excellent choice of music. I love this piece, too.

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    1. My parents were as different as you could imagine but it worked for them. She was the never-ending worker bee, the caregiver, the one with the head on her shoulders. Dad was the dreamer, the one who would dance in the kitchen and buy me ice cream on the sly. They made it work. Dad died in 1999 in the 60th year of their marriage. Mom followed 10 years later with full blown Alzheimers and no memory of dad or my sister or me.

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      1. Funny how that works, eh? My father died way too young at 70. They had been separated for 27 or so years after having been together for 29. Both were happy with another. My dad was a dreamer, big time and my mother had zero ambition. Or definitely didn’t share anything if she did. It was a weird relationship that worked most times. Until it didn’t. That damn Alzheimer’s takes so much away.

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          1. It sucks. But honestly, we three sisters felt they should have split up long before. My father was mostly a good man but my mother always felt she’d get screwed by him so she waited until the last one was an adult. And she was right.

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            1. Mom would have survived just fine on her own but the embarrassment of a split would have killed her! She was very concerned about what people thought of her. Dad wouldn’t have lasted a week without her care, companionship and cooking! I’m so glad our sons learned from us that marriage is a 50/50 deal.

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              1. That’s the thing. My father had been all holier-than-thou with folks who had divorced so when it happened to him, he went a tad stupid out of embarrassment and having to eat his words. Men…

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  10. This was a fascinating read. I feel very appreciative to learn about your family history Nancy. Your father sounds like a very buoyant and cheerful man. You know, I was just listening to Puccini (La Boheme) this morning as well. Love it.

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