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One of my earliest memories as a child was walking with my sister and father along a never-ending avenue surrounded with giant poplar trees. I was four and my sister was five and we marched, with our heads held high, beside my father, walking proudly in his usual navy pin stripped suit as he told us wonderful stories about magical creatures and fairy’s that lived in the passing trees. I remember being so totally engrossed with every word he said and gigged loudly when he mimicked the many characters that blossomed in my father’s imagination. My childish fingers played with the long fringing that hung from the end of the moth eaten poncho my mother lovingly tried to stop me from wearing that morning but with my very persuasive and adamant nature, I got my way. We came to an opening with what seemed like a hundred people standing with their big cameras and microphones. We made our way to the front of the crowed and there in the center was a very glamorous women, not realizing then, it was the Empress of Japan, smiling and waving to the crowed. My father looked to me and said “Why don’t you say hello to her?” I thought for a moment and decided “why not! I ran to the woman with a stretched out hand and said “hello”. Cameras began to flash around me and my father laughed with the crowed. My sister huddled beside him far to shy to join me. The woman bent down and took my hand and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. I ran back to my smiling father a few paces away and that’s when the memory ends. My father has since passed but I always get great joy when I see the photograph of that meeting and remember what a wonderful man my father was.