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Eddie Diaz knew that he was not a perfect father, but he sure tried his best. Eddie has just come from his first tour overseas in Afghanistan meeting his toddler son for only the second time really. He did not know how to hold him, how to feed him, or how to get him to sleep, but there is one thing Eddie knew more than anything else, he loves his son with everything in him and he would do anything to provide for him and his wife.
Shannon, his wife, was also a human that had her own faults but she gave him the best gift she could have ever given him. The couple may have spent the month he has been home so far fighting but Eddie is determined to make it work for Christopher. He created an Instagram before he was deployed last time in order to keep up with his friends and family stateside. He got to see his sisters growing up, his Tia Pepa posts pictures of her kids and his abuela that leaves him wishing he had the time to bring Christ for a visit. He added some of the guys he met at basic training as well, watching them get stationed around the USA, some also going overseas to different postings. He is proud of each and every one of the guys he works with for what they are doing, but his favorite profile is one his bunkmate showed him a couple months ago. There is this profile for a traveling musician that some of the guys love, including Eddie.
EB the musician writes songs that so many people can relate to, even some that hit a little too close to home for Eddie but he won’t tell the others that. This man has some of the most heartbreaking songs, recorded in the most breathtaking locations that Eddie can watch on repeat if time allows. While out in the field there is no time to listen, but on base the guys can play a video or two in the bunks. Eddie was playing one video in his room while he was folding some laundry and Chris overheard the song. He crawled into the room asking who was singing, where Eddie scooped him up and sat him on his lap. Eddie picked a more kid friendly video to show Chris who instantly started dancing to the music coming from the phone speaker. Eddie looked down with a smile, watching his song dance to some music. Shannon has been yelling a lot lately about Chris missing milestones he is supposed to be hitting, and Eddie assumes that yes he is missing some while gone but what he can see is a happy baby boy who, while not walking yet or talking much, is able to tell his daddy exactly what it is he wants and needs. Eddie spent the next couple weeks playing music from EB for Chris and dancing with his son.
“Dance!” Eddie heard one morning, he turned around to see his little boy sitting behind him in the living room with his hands in the air asking his daddy to dance. Eddie smiled down at his little boy, taking out his phone to pick the perfect song. He scrolled until he found the song and put his phone on the table, picking up his little man to dance. Eddie did not have a great singing voice, but that never seemed to bother Christopher who giggled along, sometimes singing a word he might know.
“ Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn't have the toy
'Till his nuggets were gone
Green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with "s" and I was concerned
So I said son now now where did you learn to talk like that”
Eddie smiled at his song, singing along with EB to the first verse. Chris spent the verse watching his Daddy while they danced and sang. Eddie watched this video for the first time and noticed that there was more explanation in the comments of this one. EB does not have children but in his travels he came upon a father and son that inspired this song. He liked to imagine that he could be that father to his son.
“He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you
We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said lord please help me help my stupid self
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son's scooby doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said son now where'd you learn to pray like that
He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama's hand
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
And he said but when I'm big I'll still know what to do
Cause I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
By then I'll be as strong as superman
We'll be just alike, hey won't we dad
When I can do everything you do
Cause I've been watching you”
Eddie spun around with the song, singing to Chris while also completing feeling the lyrics were singing right to them. Chris was laughing along to his daddy singing, trying to repeat the word buckaroo, which in his development sounded more like “buck” but that is perfectly okay with Eddie. For the rest of the time Eddie was home, through getting Chris’s CP diagnosis and re-upping his contract, his little boy would request the “Buck” song, where father and son would sing and dance. When he was shipped back overseas, he made sure to have a bear made for Chris that would sing that song to him.
