A flurry of activity
Four school friends:
Hoku, Dan, the Pedro, moi.
I thought we would have just one outing together, but one outing turned into three. Which is just as well. I’d last seen Hoku on my wedding day; and although Dan and the Pedro live nearby, I don’t see them as often as I’d like.
Our wives and children were with us, too.
Yesterday, we were in Michigan, at one of the beaches. Karin waded into the water with Daniel, and I held Samuel’s hands. It was the boys’ first time in the lake – or in any body of water larger than a bathtub.
Samuel wore a full-body swimsuit that Karin found at Goodwill just before we traveled to the lake. It has built-in flotation pads. It made Samuel look like a pint-sized linebacker.
At first, he was nervous in the water; but soon he was floating on his back, kicking gleefully, his wild hair spread out over the surface of the lake.
The sand outside the lake was like a bed of coals. The air was like a furnace. The water was warm and pleasant.
On the other days, we toured Bethel; we bowled; we strolled; we ate and drank; and we supervised the children’s play at various parks. Samuel became acquainted with the splash pad. It was a delightful weekend for him.
It was a delightful weekend for me, with peers I’ve known for decades, from whom I sense acceptance rather than the usual, palpable disdain.
Hoku, Dan, the Pedro, moi.
I thought we would have just one outing together, but one outing turned into three. Which is just as well. I’d last seen Hoku on my wedding day; and although Dan and the Pedro live nearby, I don’t see them as often as I’d like.
Our wives and children were with us, too.
Yesterday, we were in Michigan, at one of the beaches. Karin waded into the water with Daniel, and I held Samuel’s hands. It was the boys’ first time in the lake – or in any body of water larger than a bathtub.
Samuel wore a full-body swimsuit that Karin found at Goodwill just before we traveled to the lake. It has built-in flotation pads. It made Samuel look like a pint-sized linebacker.
At first, he was nervous in the water; but soon he was floating on his back, kicking gleefully, his wild hair spread out over the surface of the lake.
The sand outside the lake was like a bed of coals. The air was like a furnace. The water was warm and pleasant.
On the other days, we toured Bethel; we bowled; we strolled; we ate and drank; and we supervised the children’s play at various parks. Samuel became acquainted with the splash pad. It was a delightful weekend for him.
It was a delightful weekend for me, with peers I’ve known for decades, from whom I sense acceptance rather than the usual, palpable disdain.