The High Point of the Day
I was at the Grille with mi sobrino J. tonight and he is the greatest company ever, really, in the history of dining out. He’s so funny and sweet and present and relaxed, all at once.
He was talking about his trip at West some more, as he assured us he would, and I hadn’t realized that before climbing Ranier, he went to Cat World and Water World in order to consider the oppositional powers in the two Sub-Kingdoms: lions versus sharks. In order to discuss, at length, their ultimate galactic battle against each other.
I was laughing so hard as he talked about he and his brother arguing cat versus shark, shark versus cat, which one would kill you faster? At the summit of Ranier, they were still arguing, seriously kind of arguing. It’s so stupid and funny. I thinking this was the high point of the day: hearing J make observations about his brother, the purpose of mindless conversation, the existential nature of the mountain climbing episode.
And then my student, Tony. came up to our booth and introduced his father, Steve. They had a moment with J., where they took the time to see him, and shake hands, take him in.
We all shook hands like men, like compatriots, like soup-lovers, and they left and then, suddenly, the dad was back and he popped right into the booth, leaning way in, into my face and he said, “Thank you for what you did for my son, thank you for everything you did, it means so much.” And he was gone.
It happened so fast. I got tears in my eyes. It was better than money, publication, dessert. When frustrating things happen in the classroom next semester, I want to remember Steve said thank you.
It was a perfect day. The new writing program in place. A satisfying hard run in the soft rain with my small red dog at the cemetery. Time with J. Time in the library. Healthy nourishing abundant good. The student’s dad, coming back to the booth, leaning in.
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