Day Six: Father – Son Tradition, Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Today was our final day on Hilton Head Island. Not wanting to take any moment or opportunity for granted, when we woke we put on our swim trunks – after brushing our teeth of course – and hurried outside. We went back to the ocean – to commune with the Atlantic once again.
William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.” Naeem and I love the ocean and like Juliet, she deserved a personal connected good bye – not a stare while we watched her wave from outside the window.
Swimming Lessons For All Ages
I have to learn to swim proficiently perhaps even expertly. There is just no way around it. I love the water, the sand and sun too much not to be able to maximize my time in the place that I consider my own small piece of heaven. So swim lessons are in the works.
Learning to swim will be just another opportunity to take the words my son shared with me more than a year ago and put them to good use. About a year ago, he reminded me that as long as I am still living “I have time”. Time to do whatever I am willing to commit to doing.
I’m committed to being capable of doing everything possible in and on the water during our next Father-Son excursion. Imaginably, our next excursion will begin on a yacht with no intended destination in mind. Oh yeah, the He Man Women Hater’s Rules will still apply.
Fare The Well
Fare the well-beloved lazy spots. Fare the well Hilton Head Island! Fare the well Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa! Peace out children spawned by Ricky & Carey Bobby and Be Be!
Reluctantly but necessarily – we showered, dressed and packed our gear. We proceeded to the front desk to drop off the room key card hoping someone would ask about our stay. The intention was to apprise the hotel that there was far too much noise at night and in the early morning.
To my delight not only was there a hotel representative who genuinely wanted to know about our visit but she wanted to do something to atone for some of the unpleasantness. The wonderful representative was named Linda and her hotel badge read Kingstree, SC.
Linda not only empathized with our plight but she also monetized her feelings by voluntarily adjusting our room charge. The adjustment was sufficient enough to just about cover the entire cost of the rental car. Fare the well Linda from Kingstree, SC. Fare the well!
On The Road Again
Before we reached the highway, we stopped at our new favorite baked goods establishment, Atlanta Bread Company. Thank God that there is no store near our home or Naeem and I might soon find ourselves in big trouble. And by big, I mean big bellies. We have a Father vs. Son Who Has the Sexiest Abs contest planned and right now the Atlanta Bread Company has caused the contest to be moved back a few days.
We ordered one baked good each and a fruit smoothie. Well if you force the truth out of me, I have to tell you that we also placed a carry out order so that we would have some treats for the road. At the rate we ordered baked goods, the abs challenge looked in jeopardy of ever taking place.
The Atlanta Bread Company and its excessive carb – high calorie food had a hold on us. Good thing we were leaving because the only six-pack in our immediate future was not our abs but the half-dozen cookies in our carry out bag.
Hey Mr. DJ
Once again, Naeem served as the DJ. While he again played what felt like the soundtrack to his life, I happily wore the Hoke Colburn chauffeur hat and assumed my position behind the wheel. After all, I was just trying to drive Miss Daisy. Oops, I meant, I was just trying to drive Naeem back to Atlanta.
Sometimes as a parent your relationship with your child can feel a lot like you are Morgan Freeman and they are Jessica Tandy. All Naeem had to do was program a play list on his Google Nexus 10. After he arranged the music he wanted to hear, he was free to play games on his tablet, text on his phone, read comic books on his tablet and eat some of the abs destroying baked goods from the Atlanta Bread Company. Oh and let’s not forget, he was able to fall asleep at his discretion. Sleep what a wonderful concept but something I was not free to do.
There are times as a parent when carrying the brunt of the responsibility, doing all the things that you for your child and their reaction to your efforts leave you feeling unappreciated. Although, Naeem was free to chill in the passenger seat and he even dosed off a time or two this was not one of those times where I felt unappreciated.
Actually, rarely has my relationship with him left me feeling unrewarded. I have never loved anything more than being his father. Having been an adult for more years than I care to remember, I am convinced that adulthood is a most overrated experience. In accordance with one of the songs on Naeem’s playlist, I remind him constantly that the key to life for him at this present moment is to remain “Forever Young”.
Certainly there are times just as there were between Hoke and Daisy when we get on each other’s nerves. Yet at the end of the day, like Hoke and Daisy, he’s my best friend and I would do anything in the world for him which includes chauffeuring him around while he sleeps.
One of those occasions while he was sleeping, I looked over at him and thought life is good for my son. That sight alone was motivation to chauffeur him anywhere the road of life takes him.
http://youtu.be/BR0oZ2pnhyg
http://youtu.be/qa7PJseO_hw
http://youtu.be/E1nbvplgElw
Twenty-Nine Minute Grace Period
We were late returning the rental car. I have no doubt that Junella was laughing at me, as I drove feverishly trying to get the government issued vehicle back to MIB headquarters before 5:29 pm. I half expected Junella to be waiting for me in the car return garage, wiping the sweat off her brow as she gave me that look women so often give men when we say something we believe humorous and they find dim. I also expected Junella to be yelling at me while security accompanied her. Yes, I thought Junella was going to have the MIB arrest me for telling her Alien secret – that June and Ella were living uncomfortably inside her – and for exceeding the 29 minute grace period.
Fortunately, neither Junella nor the MIB were there to greet us when we returned. However, trying to find the return location had more challenges than getting Junella to give us the keys when we arrived to pick up the rental. We and by “we”, I mean “I” drove around aimlessly for more than 30 minutes trying to find the entrance to the Alamo return. Every sign we saw took us to the wrong location. Every person we asked for assistance steered us in the wrong direction. Finally almost sequentially with the clock striking 5:29, out of nowhere the entryway for Alamo returns magically appeared.
I drove into the area happy to remove my chauffer’s hat and happier not to see Junella. Fully expecting to learn that I was being charged for another day, I looked at the receipt that the return clerk handed to me. The receipt read balance due zero. I had not been charged for arriving after the grace period. Good fortune smiled on us again.
Is It Me?
After leaving Alamo we proceed to go catch a cab. If we had any other options, trust me, I would have chosen something different.
Once again, I suppose this should have been expected, we had a disconnect with the cab driver. Imagine that!
The airport ground transportation crew instructed us on where we needed to stand. We stood in the area marked “cash or credit”. My intent was to pay with a credit card. Not only did I want to hold on to my cash in case of an emergency, I wanted to know exactly how much this priceless time with my son was costing me.
So, before getting into the cab, I informed the driver that I would be paying with credit. He did not reply, it was as if I was the one speaking in a tongue that he didn’t understand. As he started to pull off, I again asked do you take credit cards, he replied, I prefer cash. I thought to myself “so do I which is precisely why I’m paying you with a credit card”.
He dropped us off at The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel at about 6:30 pm, I kept my cash and paid him as intended with MasterCard. Cash still in my pocket, a credit trail to track the cost of our journey, more time with Soop…Priceless!
Arranged Marriage
We checked in an immediately went to the room. Outside our window was the CNN building. 
I suggested taking a tour. Naeem replied how early would we have to get up which was code for old man are you crazy. I guess that there won’t be a tour of CNN tomorrow.
I have always thought Naeem would make a great journalist. He is thorough in his research. He is opinionated. He isn’t shy about sharing his thoughts or opinions. He could do stories in several languages or even work for networks whose primary language was other than English. Maybe in another lifetime.
In any event, after our success with Yummy House excluding the tragic encounter with Be Be and her kids, we decided that we should continue our pursuit of local authentic cuisine. Using Google Maps, we only found one place suitable to our vegan /vegetarian lifestyle Hsus.
Hsus is a Chinese restaurant. We were greeted by the lovely Jessica. Upon seeing Jessica, I thought I don’t know how good the food is going to be but I think I just found the woman my son is going to marry. The food like Jessica was as Hsus advertised “Atlanta’s Finest”.
On our way out, the owner and I had a conversation. It continued to rain and he tried to convince us to stay in the restaurant a little longer. I think he sensed what I felt that we should arrange the marriage between our two children. I don’t suspect either Jessica or Naeem had a clue what was being considered. Not wanting to derail Naeem’s pursuits, add an additional obstacle (namely a wife) or cause him to lose the innocence one who has yet to become a full-time responsible adult, I said to my new good friend “huí tóu jiàn” which means “see you later” in Mandarin.
I purposely chose not to say “zài jiàn” which means “goodbye” because I plan to make sure Naeem sees Jessica again. I wonder how often Jessica’s family visits China. Maybe her dad could stop over in Bora Bora so that we can work out the details. Bora Bora is close to China isn’t it?
Is it Fringe, Inception or Twilight Zone?
Naeem and I experienced several – for lack of a better word – oddities before calling it a night.
First, there were the two men accompanied to their room by a prostitute. The oldest profession is definitely open for business in Downtown Atlanta. Almost the moment, we drove into the downtown area, you could see that there were “working women” positioned on just about on every corner. What I hadn’t expected was that one of those “working women” would be accompanying two male guests into the hotel. There are so many other comments I could make but as I always remind myself this is a G-rated blog.
Then there was the elevator hidden behind the locked door. Talk about strange. Naeem and I expressed that the whole thing left the feeling of crossing over into an alternate universe. His alternate universe was something out of the movie “Inception” or the TV show “Fringe”. My alternate universe was more like something out of the “Twilight Zone”.
I imagined walking through the locked door, into the elevator and suddenly hearing the voice of Harriet Tubman yelling at me to run before the hound dogs and Massa catch me. Running through the woods trying to get to freedom with Harriet, I imagined her saying “come on Nat”. Somehow the elevator behind the locked door had transformed me into my namesake Nat Turner. Harriet and I were running through a forest of poplar trees where there were several strange fruit hanging – a constant reminder to run faster.
I know, I need a good night’s sleep. I’m not thinking soundly. Today, I nearly arranged my son’s marriage and I imagined being a runaway slave on a plantation. I shudder to think what’s next. I would settle for the next thing being 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Good night.
http://youtu.be/h4ZyuULy9zs
Do you ever feel under-appreciated or unappreciated by your child? How do you reconcile those feelings?