Lois and I took my grandson Matthew to the mall today. Sounds pretty dull but Matt had a great time. The trip was part of his fourth birthday present. We took the light rail to the mall. Yeah, riding the train was a big deal. Don't know why little boys seem to get off on the idea of rail travel. I don't think there's any connection to the mystique of trains, you know, that far off wail of the trains whistle at night singing to a young man of freedom. Nope, think more on the lines of Thomas the Train and all of the stiff-upper-lipness that drags in.
So he enjoyed the ride both on the train and the ones in Nickelodeon Universe. Also had fun in Lego Land. Good trip indeed.
While on the train we were watched by an older man of color. We knew it and didn't mind. Matt's a happy, expressive kid. Fun to watch. While getting off at the mall the man approached me and we talked. He asked and I said my grandson's name was Matt. He also asked my name and I his, "Ishmael." The wanderer. He then said he was from Norway. Took him three tries to get me to understand. Sometimes my mind has a hard time understanding a word when it seems to make no sense. Finally the light bulb lit and I replied, "Funny, you don't look Norwegian." At the same moment images were flashing through my mind of how the world is changing; people, plants and animals far from their place of ancestry. The man's name sure was appropriate. Maybe born in the middle east or east Africa, lived in Norway and now in the United States. The wanderer for sure.
