When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
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February 10, 2007
Joshua was a precocious little boy of two and he was quite done with breakfast, so his father wiped his face and pulled him onto his lap for some serious daddy hugging. After a few minutes the father turned to me and we continued our conversation about something unimportant.
We were sitting at the counter of the Hangar Cafe enjoying an early Saturday morning breakfast with the rest of the regulars. The father and son had recently joined the stalwart Saturday morning crew of pilots, retirees and farmers at the back of the restaurant. The young boy was welcomed as a prince and treated as such, though he was far too young to know it.
On this Saturday morning, he was getting fidgety, as he is wont to do, but his dad wanted to finish his conversation with me, so little Joshua started to sing. His father turned it into a game and soon Joshua became quiet again, but he was ready to leave.
The kitchen boss, Ted, who also ran the grill, noticed the little boy's frustration and came over with a gift. It was a tiny blue-green Brontosaurus.
"Here's something for you - a dinosaur", said Ted as he made the dinosaur gallop across the counter and stop just before the little boy's open hands. When Joshua picked up the dinosaur, Ted softly said, "Remember to keep it with you always."
The little boy mimicked him, "Keep it with me always", and started to play with the dinosaur, making it leap onto the plate and fly into the air.
My eyes went wide when I saw Ted offer the dinosaur to the little boy. I told him, "That was a nice thing to do."
He acknowledged me and immediately turned away to hide the tears welling in his eyes.
The dad didn't see Ted's reaction and continued to talk, but I wasn't listening. I was as quiet as the other regulars sitting nearby. The father didn't realize how important and precious that tiny toy was to the other man.
You see, he lost his only child, a teenage boy of 17, only three months ago. It happened just before Thanksgiving. A drunk driver killed the boy as he was returning home in his father's car after spending the day at his girlfriend's house. Since that day, the regulars have closed ranks around Ted - to protect him and give him time to heal.
The silence was broken as one of the older men started talking about the Phoenix Suns. It was our cue to start talking again and to grant peace and solitude to a fellow father as he mourned the death of his son.
I watched the boy play with the toy dinosaur, then looked over at Ted working at the grill. The toy dinosaur that had belonged to his son was missing from the prep table.
Some men are like that. Ted realized he could share his heart again and that he'd start with the innocence of a little boy who needed a toy. Now he would have two memories of that dinosaur. One of a little boy named Joshua. And one far more precious.
One from long ago and far away when his little boy and his toy dinosaur ruled the earth.
--
February 10, 2007
Joshua was a precocious little boy of two and he was quite done with breakfast, so his father wiped his face and pulled him onto his lap for some serious daddy hugging. After a few minutes the father turned to me and we continued our conversation about something unimportant.
We were sitting at the counter of the Hangar Cafe enjoying an early Saturday morning breakfast with the rest of the regulars. The father and son had recently joined the stalwart Saturday morning crew of pilots, retirees and farmers at the back of the restaurant. The young boy was welcomed as a prince and treated as such, though he was far too young to know it.
On this Saturday morning, he was getting fidgety, as he is wont to do, but his dad wanted to finish his conversation with me, so little Joshua started to sing. His father turned it into a game and soon Joshua became quiet again, but he was ready to leave.
The kitchen boss, Ted, who also ran the grill, noticed the little boy's frustration and came over with a gift. It was a tiny blue-green Brontosaurus.
"Here's something for you - a dinosaur", said Ted as he made the dinosaur gallop across the counter and stop just before the little boy's open hands. When Joshua picked up the dinosaur, Ted softly said, "Remember to keep it with you always."
The little boy mimicked him, "Keep it with me always", and started to play with the dinosaur, making it leap onto the plate and fly into the air.
My eyes went wide when I saw Ted offer the dinosaur to the little boy. I told him, "That was a nice thing to do."
He acknowledged me and immediately turned away to hide the tears welling in his eyes.
The dad didn't see Ted's reaction and continued to talk, but I wasn't listening. I was as quiet as the other regulars sitting nearby. The father didn't realize how important and precious that tiny toy was to the other man.
You see, he lost his only child, a teenage boy of 17, only three months ago. It happened just before Thanksgiving. A drunk driver killed the boy as he was returning home in his father's car after spending the day at his girlfriend's house. Since that day, the regulars have closed ranks around Ted - to protect him and give him time to heal.
The silence was broken as one of the older men started talking about the Phoenix Suns. It was our cue to start talking again and to grant peace and solitude to a fellow father as he mourned the death of his son.
I watched the boy play with the toy dinosaur, then looked over at Ted working at the grill. The toy dinosaur that had belonged to his son was missing from the prep table.
Some men are like that. Ted realized he could share his heart again and that he'd start with the innocence of a little boy who needed a toy. Now he would have two memories of that dinosaur. One of a little boy named Joshua. And one far more precious.
One from long ago and far away when his little boy and his toy dinosaur ruled the earth.
--
posted by Mike Chandler | 3:46 PM
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