September 18, 2009

Surprise visit

Last Saturday night, Ultimate tournaments hadn’t started yet, so Shaggy Hair Boy and Boy in Black had decided to hang out at home with their little brother. Boy in Black has been having the kind of angst any senior in college has when he looks at the future. He needs to figure out what he wants to do: get a PhD in Physics? Get a PhD in Math? Which one? Skip grad school and get a job? Boy in Black is passionate about Ultimate — right now he’s playing every night of the week — but he hasn’t figured out yet how to make a living at that.

Last year, when Boy in Black was injured, we spent many Saturday evenings by the fire talking about his groin. Now we sit around and talk about grad school — whether or not he wants to devote the next five years of his life to getting another degree. You’d think the topic would be an improvement, but you’d be wrong.

In the midst of this discussion, we heard knocking at the door. Not random knocking, but a rhythmic beat that kept getting faster and faster. I opened the door, and in walked Quick — our drumming, piano-playing, chess-playing extra.

He’d come home from the college for the weekend to spend time with his grandmother, and he’d decided to surprise us. He’d been texting Shaggy Hair Boy from his cell phone, but never mentioned he was in town.

The boys gathered around the table with a deck of cards and poker chips, happily exchanging stories about their first weeks of school. Quick joined the Ultimate team at University of Camera City, of course, and he’ll see my sons at some of the tournaments this fall. When my husband and I went to bed, the four boys were still at the table, eating random food and telling funny stories.

5 comments:

Karin said...

Doesn't seem like your house is empty much at all.

Rana said...

As he's making his decisions, he should strongly consider waiting a year or two before going to grad school - most of my peers who did so were a lot more focused and motivated than those of us who went straight from undergrad to grad - AND they ended up with experience that was a useful backup in case academia didn't work out. (But I suspect you know this already.)

kathy a. said...

sounds like a wonderful evening.

sherry said...

How about come to New Orleans with Americorp, teach math/physics to struggling schools, start the sport of ultimate in a new place.....I know several folks who would be glad to play host. (including us, but we live 40 minutes away)

Liz Miller said...

I like Sherry's idea.