It’s the night before the night before – it’s raucous outside – boys and beer, boys and snooker , boys and banter, boys and red cups filled right up with loaded coke, boys with bags of chips … “no, ta, we don’t need a bowl – the bag’s fine” boys … loud banter getting louder – the dogs bark and snap from time to time – the fridge door opens and shuts, the ice is scarce and I am asking if they need any real food – my son’s world plays out outside and I am called to reflect …. how did this happen? Where went the years??? How did he learn to gather these friends ? How did he learn to know already that he will hurt the day after tomorrow when he leaves them?? – and to take a minute to tell me that at the sink when he sneaks inside for a moment in the cool …
Outside at my place tonight are boys who make pizza, boys who study immunology and psychology and medicine and scenography, boys who dive without a care into the green blue depths of a waterhole, dr boys who run in retail, work hard, dream big and speak a language that I don’t know and at a volume that I can’t fathom.
And I say … they’re noisy … it’s Tuesday … it’s late. What I mean is … it’s marvellous!! … we’ll miss you … and the quiet of the day after the day after tomorrow is already deafening….
