Daddys' Cup

Sitting on the shelf,collecting dust and all but forgotten is my fathers cup. No,not his favorite coffee cup but his baby cup. Hanging on the side is his baby spoon. Peter Rabbit is on the handle of the spoon. The old,original Peter Rabbit. I was given these items by my mother. My father left this mortal world in 1990 at the age of 66. Too soon for the mortals that knew and loved him, but right on schedule with Gods' plan.
Occasionally I will stop and look at it. I can't help but think what hopes and dreams were attached to that cup. His mother,my grandmother,died the day after his birth. Complications from childbirth being listed as the cause of death. Her mother and father raised him. Why his father remarried a year later and did not take him to live with him I do not know. This was never spoken about and never questioned. His father passed away just five years later. He once told me he didn't really remember his father. Given he was only five at the time, it is not surprising.
Although little is known about the cup or spoon I like to speculate about them. His name is engraved upon the cup so I'm thinking it was a gift after his birth. With his mother passing the next day it does make one wonder.  I wonder if the cup came from his father. Perhaps he purchased this cup and had his sons'  name engraved upon it. Austin. That is the name on it and my fathers true name. Everyone knew him as Ben and that is the name he used. I have been told this name came from a close friend of my Grand fathers. The man was Austin Bennett. Searching old census records I have found a man named Austin Bennett that did live in Greenport,where my grand father lived, at the same time and on the same street.  As to the spoon I'm thinking my Great Aunt Mildred may have been responsible for that. Of course, as I said,it is all speculation and conjecture on my part. The story is lost to time.
My father has an older brother. His name is Elwood,after his father. I have only met this man two or three times in my life. Uncle Elwood went to live with his great Aunt Mildred in Chicago when he was about fifteen.The rumor being he was in some kinda trouble and Great Grandma couldn't deal with it. Some accounts say he was a bit unruly. He lives in Florida and to the best of my knowledge is alive and well. I have tried communicating with him on several occasions. He was cordial, but not receptive to talking too much about the past. Like a lot of brothers his relationship with my father was tenuous at best. My father also had two half brothers. Both are gone now.
Often when I look at that cup and spoon, I wonder. To my father, was it a sad reminder of what could have been ? Or was it a cup of hope for the future ? These thoughts and questions never entered my mind until I got older and these items came into my possesion.My father seldom ,if ever,spoke of these things. He may have to my mother, but never to me. I was away, in the Navy, at the end of his life.That is a regret I live with. I had opportunities, but never used them. Hence the regret.
One day I will give this cup and spoon to one of the grand children. I will have to wait to see their personalities develop. I want to make an accurate judgement as to which one will be the keeper. I'm sure my own father would be surprised to know that I turned out to be the keeper of the past. I wasn't exactly what you would have called," settled " during his lifetime. His cup and spoon are treasured mementos to me. Funny thing is, I have very little that belonged to him. I have his old photographs and his medals from the War. A few other trinkets that were his. You do have a tendency to take things for granted. I sure wish I had spoken more with him about the past and saved a few more things. I try to keep that in mind and squirrel things away for others to discover after I'm gone.
 My father was cremated . His ashes were placed between the graves of his mother and father. That is what he wanted. The 23rd pslam was read,also his wish. I was indeed fortunate to have him as a father and a friend.
My cup runneth over.