Rest. By Richard Jones It’s so late I could cut my lights and drive the next fifty miles of empty interstate by starlight, flying along in a dream, countryside alive with shapes and shadows, but exit ramps lined with eighteen wheelers and truckers sleeping in their cabs make me consider pulling into a rest stop […]
They’re wedged in the backseat, grandfather and grandson, en route to theWay of Lights, because even after Christmas there is always the Way. It’s a bring-your-book road trip, but magazines are okay, too. Scientific American this time, its cover a radiant brain floating in sapphire. Which is how I imagine the inside of his skull. He flips the […]
Chapter six is titled, ‘Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire’. Seven-year-olds are intimately familiar with the concept, but I’m not sure if Ian’s ever heard the expression. ‘Do you know what that means?’ He shakes his head. ‘Well, imagine you’re a piece of meat, frying in a pan.’ He throws his eyes open […]
Friday at the dollar theater. Boys’ night out. Mommy at home, not disapproving of the box of Raisenets or bag of M&Ms. We’re snuggling in the arctic chill of a movie theater, and watch as the Love Interest trembles but takes the hand of our Hero as he leads her to the edge of the […]
Lasagna, left-over or otherwise, is a soothing balm unto my soul. It is comforting, restorative, and cheesy. It was dinner tonight, with warm, crusty, garlic bread. I was a happy man, and made it known. ‘Daddy,’ Ian said, ‘you’ve got a whole lasagna thing goin’ on in your life.’
At dinner last night, in exchange for forcing him to eat barbecue chicken instead of (yet another) grilled cheese, I allowed Ian to choose any drink he wanted from the dispenser. Soda is usually reserved for vacations or special occasions, so this was a rare treat. In retrospect, allowing a child with decision-making issues and […]
I leave work early on Fridays during the summer. Yesterday Ian and I grabbed a quick lunch, took the train downtown, and visted the City Museum. For five hours. I ruminated on the way home, and realized several things: Ian has overcome much of his fear of heights, dark places, loud noises, and death. I […]
Ian’s always wanted a younger brother. Unless God, in his infinite humor, decides otherwise, it ain’t gonna happen. But we have a two-year-old godson, Timothy, who’s filling the role quite nicely. We spent last week in Madeira Beach with friends and our godson, sharing a beach-front condo and sixteen-hour drive. Ian and Timothy spent the […]