My brother and his wife just picked up their kids one day and moved themselves from the Bible belt to a community near Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. I have been watching my brother let his values slowly change him for years and not without a lot of envy. But now he has gone and moved to the east. I have been able to divorce myself of a lot of excess baggage over the years but I've watched him move farther away faster than I ever did wishing in my heart of hearts that I could follow. But I am the older brother. I don’t follow. He follows me.
Anyway, I was the first of our family to make it out east for a visit after their move. I took the spring break advantage to bring Trey and come before they had even unpacked all of their clothes. We spent a day together in New York City and took Trey on a college visit to the Yale Library. Saturday came along, the day Trey and I would show them what real values are; Michigan State against University of Connecticut in a game of basketball. But as Saturday wore on and the game grew closer I felt an emptiness in my stomach that I couldn’t put my finger on. Then I figured it out. Something was wrong in the house. There was no processed sugar in the cupboards or caffeine in the refrigerator. I looked at my brother, Nate, and said, “Is their a convenience store around here anywhere?” He answered, “Sure,” probably thinking that I wasn’t satisfied with his selection of beers, and then said, “I’ll take you.” We all jumped in the car and he drove us to the local convenience store. As we pulled in Nate said, “I’ll stay with the kids.” I think he knew what I was going through and didn't know what to do. I felt my excitement rising, and motioned to Trey, “Come on Trey, let’s go and get the stuff.” As we ran across the parking lot I could already feel the sickness in my stomach dissipating and a relaxed feeling settling. As we entered the store I sensed something was wrong here too. The shelves were packed but there was nothing on them. Even Trey doesn’t who eats healthy and doesn't drink soft drinks could see what was happening to me. We walked forlornly through the isles and Trey weakly pointed out a few sports drinks that might help. The store didn’t have Oreo cookies either. They did have customers crowding the isles packing their carts with all kinds of food I didn’t recognize. I did see a lot of raisons.
We ran out into the parking lot as I explained to Nate. "This is not a store like the ones we have at home; what were you thinking?” Nate smiled as he started the car and said, “I think I know what you want.” We drove down the block and he parked in front of a different store. Trey and I went in much slower this time. Before I went looking through all the shelves I went up to the grocer standing behind the counter of his small shop to explain what I needed. He handed me his one case of Coke Zero he had stashed behind the counter like a porno magazine. He didn’t have any Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke in the store. Then Trey and I found the chips and Oreo Cookies on a rack behind us. We practically cleaned the store out of the stuff that you need to get through a basketball game.
I was much quieter as I sipped my diet coke as game time approached. I knew I had changed the character of the house even though I hadn't met to. The house now felt a little contaminated even to me the one who had gone searching for what was missing. It wasn’t the quiet voice of my sister-in-law that was helping me see things differently. It was the stuff on the shelves of that first convenience store. I watched the adds during pregame realizing that it is the food store chains and the corporate America’s advertising that has brought me to this place where I am today. As pregame ended and game time approached I arranged all the sugar cookies, pop, and chips but did not actively promote them to kids like I might have at home. I watched my brother and another father let their little boys take a sip of Heineken from their bottles as night approached and the boy’s energy started to peal away. But I never would have dared coax any of the little kids roaming the house to drink a sip from my can of Diet Coke as they raced around the darkening house under the watchful eyes of their protective mothers. I just knew they might have something. The natural course of the day was ending. That sip of the caffeinated Coke would have slowed natural processes that were occurring in those little boy’s bodies and those mothers know it; while the beer would simply add a sedative to assist the body as it shut down for the night.
I enjoyed watching Michigan State University knock off the University of Connecticut. I think it should be that way. Basketball was invented in the Midwest you know. After my short trip to Connecticut I do think that all good things probably didn't start in the Midwest. Maybe it would be okay for Trey to decide to go east for his college experience.
Anyway, I was the first of our family to make it out east for a visit after their move. I took the spring break advantage to bring Trey and come before they had even unpacked all of their clothes. We spent a day together in New York City and took Trey on a college visit to the Yale Library. Saturday came along, the day Trey and I would show them what real values are; Michigan State against University of Connecticut in a game of basketball. But as Saturday wore on and the game grew closer I felt an emptiness in my stomach that I couldn’t put my finger on. Then I figured it out. Something was wrong in the house. There was no processed sugar in the cupboards or caffeine in the refrigerator. I looked at my brother, Nate, and said, “Is their a convenience store around here anywhere?” He answered, “Sure,” probably thinking that I wasn’t satisfied with his selection of beers, and then said, “I’ll take you.” We all jumped in the car and he drove us to the local convenience store. As we pulled in Nate said, “I’ll stay with the kids.” I think he knew what I was going through and didn't know what to do. I felt my excitement rising, and motioned to Trey, “Come on Trey, let’s go and get the stuff.” As we ran across the parking lot I could already feel the sickness in my stomach dissipating and a relaxed feeling settling. As we entered the store I sensed something was wrong here too. The shelves were packed but there was nothing on them. Even Trey doesn’t who eats healthy and doesn't drink soft drinks could see what was happening to me. We walked forlornly through the isles and Trey weakly pointed out a few sports drinks that might help. The store didn’t have Oreo cookies either. They did have customers crowding the isles packing their carts with all kinds of food I didn’t recognize. I did see a lot of raisons.
We ran out into the parking lot as I explained to Nate. "This is not a store like the ones we have at home; what were you thinking?” Nate smiled as he started the car and said, “I think I know what you want.” We drove down the block and he parked in front of a different store. Trey and I went in much slower this time. Before I went looking through all the shelves I went up to the grocer standing behind the counter of his small shop to explain what I needed. He handed me his one case of Coke Zero he had stashed behind the counter like a porno magazine. He didn’t have any Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke in the store. Then Trey and I found the chips and Oreo Cookies on a rack behind us. We practically cleaned the store out of the stuff that you need to get through a basketball game.
I was much quieter as I sipped my diet coke as game time approached. I knew I had changed the character of the house even though I hadn't met to. The house now felt a little contaminated even to me the one who had gone searching for what was missing. It wasn’t the quiet voice of my sister-in-law that was helping me see things differently. It was the stuff on the shelves of that first convenience store. I watched the adds during pregame realizing that it is the food store chains and the corporate America’s advertising that has brought me to this place where I am today. As pregame ended and game time approached I arranged all the sugar cookies, pop, and chips but did not actively promote them to kids like I might have at home. I watched my brother and another father let their little boys take a sip of Heineken from their bottles as night approached and the boy’s energy started to peal away. But I never would have dared coax any of the little kids roaming the house to drink a sip from my can of Diet Coke as they raced around the darkening house under the watchful eyes of their protective mothers. I just knew they might have something. The natural course of the day was ending. That sip of the caffeinated Coke would have slowed natural processes that were occurring in those little boy’s bodies and those mothers know it; while the beer would simply add a sedative to assist the body as it shut down for the night.
I enjoyed watching Michigan State University knock off the University of Connecticut. I think it should be that way. Basketball was invented in the Midwest you know. After my short trip to Connecticut I do think that all good things probably didn't start in the Midwest. Maybe it would be okay for Trey to decide to go east for his college experience.
Trey, Nate, Cade, and Jack on the Staten Island Ferry outside of Manhatten.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Nathan's. I'm anxious to see their place. Mom
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