Deadbeat Dads

 This is the 137th attempt to piece together a eulogy for my father... so your patience is appreciated.

To say Dad was of a different era is an understatement. When Mom died her closest sister Leona quipped, "Joyce married up. If only the rest of us were so lucky." 

To say Dad was a man of integrity is an understatement. There is a reason why distant relatives who I never met named him the executor of their wills. They knew (correctly) that Merlon Kranz would not only do what they wanted to the letter of the law but also to the intent they meant it to be. 

Do I need to mention that Mom worked for a lawyer and for their 25th wedding anniversary she had Dad served with divorce papers very, very publicly at #FMC #LinkBelt. Needless to say, I was Mom's favorite because I helped her do it, but I digress...

Dad saw his only role in life as providing for his wife and kids. To that end he was successful. There was never a day that I worried about a rough over my head or my next meal. Dad saw masculinity as being the provider - not in a way that took away anything from women because, trust me on this, his favorite child was his second child, his daughter Miriam. Miriam has the same sensibilities as Dad so of course she was the favorite. The rest of us were hotheads because we took way too much from Mom... but again, I digress.

When I gave the eulogy for Doc, Dad turned to Ann and said, "I wish he could say the same for me.

The words he was talking about were the last words of the eulogy, "I have always believed the best thing you can say about a man is that the world is a better place for his having been here. As I look around this room I can see how much better Coe and this world was because of Bill Spellman. Each of us has had time to think about the positive impact he had on our lives. By helping us to be better people the spirit of William Spellman lives on,"

There wasn't a dry eye in the room because I'm really good at what I do, but again, I digress.

The world needs more men like Merlon Kranz. I am Steven Merlon Kranz. In the Arab world taking your father's name as your middle name is the highest form of respect you can give. Trust me, I wasn't not only the favorite child, I wasn't the favorite son.  Again, I digress.

So let me cut to the chase... I'd say make a long story short but it's way too late for that at this point.

There is a total POS deadbeat Dad living in Virginia. He got a woman pregnant here in the UAE, isgned the birth certificate so he claim her as a dependent forever and then scooted back to the US where he has been claiming that child on his tax returns ever since and has rarely sent any money to his child.

Her best friend had the same thing with Emirati guy to which Mansour was like, "Give me his name, I will make him pay." 

The best part of Ramadan this year? Spending some time with Mansour's sons. They are lucky boys because they have a good man for a father.