My Father: What I Learned From My Favorite Guy

I feel so lucky to have had Samuel Wells Sr. in my life for 50 years. He was handsome and funny and strong and I think he thought I was pretty much perfect.
One time when my aunt playfully “told on me” that I’d been cursing, he replied, “Oh, I don’t think El would do that.” (I was in my 30s at the time so it wouldn’t have been that much of a transgression). You don’t have to spend much time with me to know that I have a bit of a potty mouth but it didn’t matter. Sam was not going to let anybody say anything bad about me … even in jest … unless, of course, it was him. He never understood why I wear my hair the way I do and would often laughingly ask me “what happened” and whether I wanted to borrow his comb.

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