Note: As a world-renowned advisor to countless individuals including celebrities, sports figures and those from all walks of life, I feel the need at times, to step back and take a look at my own life, often times going back to my childhood, where the foundation of what I was to become had been established. My childhood wasn't exactly an easy one if you really want to know the truth.
With Valentines Day here once again, I am now compelled to return to another time, another place:
As a young boy with youthful yearnings and miniscule earnings derived from my lop-sided paper route, I decided it was time I do something really nice for Momma for Valentines Day and maybe, just maybe, she'd forget her troubles for a while, put down her drink and look at her children with clear, tear-less eyes, something she hadn't done since right before Thanksgiving of my tenth year, when Dad phoned his mistress and said, "I'm leaving my wife and four kids, I'll be with you for the rest of eternity." Of course, it was hush-hush, but I had my hush puppies on and besides I knew something wasn't right when Dad packed a suitcase while Momma basted the turkey.
Not really knowing what to buy with all of my six dollars, which really was a lot of money those days if you weren't a gambler or a drinker or a pot head or god forbid, were intent on frequenting Madame Bouvier's pink-colored Brothel on the other side of the tracks, where some people, well, a lot of people there could no longer draw the line, lost their pencils along with their sanity or something like that, wasn't sure, I was only in my second year of Social Studies, one of my favorites was Science and Nuclear Engineering, a branch of physics where, incidentally, I built my tree house. Right next to me an eagle's aerie and a sparrows nest and I thought, if these birds of a different feather could flock together and be peaceful with each other, why couldn't the rest of the world. We had Viet Nam and the cold war and a build-up of arms and Arnold was the most famous for that one . . .
I shopped along Maxwell Street with the scotch-taped drunkards and with their boisterous mouths still open, I heard enough about hardship and "woe is me's" than a newly graduated Psychology Major filling in as an intern at Jerry Springer's Clearing House.
I pushed my cart with zeal and a seal of approval from the pearly white-toothed, bandana-headed clerk, who, by the way, resembled a young Jane Fonda. Exhausted and still unsure, I grabbed from the rack the big box with various sized pots and pans, hopefully a prelude to home-cooked dinners with Momma and hoping that her days and nights hanging about the saloons would be over . . . couldn't she see that I loved her and missed her, that my last three years were without her and Papa . . . that my world, our world had turned upside down.
I wish one and all a very special Valentines Day and remember to be kind, be giving and above all, espouse your love and gratitude to those around you.
Sincerely, Rick J. Fico aka Dan (The Man) Landers
Oh, and maybe you are ready to take that special one on a honeymoon or a pre-honeymoon, Well, Las Vegas is a great destination for a romantic interlude. It has the Eiffel Tower, it has St. Mark's Square. It has more than you probably ever imagined.
