Day 185

Fourth of July

Fireworks last night on the beach, brunch today at a house on the parade route.  There was a young mentally challenged woman in a wheelchair next to me, her mother and father hovering over her as she leapt up again and again in excitement at the parade's variety - bagpipes, marching bands, floats.  She was so happy, kept turning her beaming face up to them in wonder at these amazing things she was seeing. 

It made me think how lucky I am to have healthy children in mind and body, how sad it must be to have a child like that, someone who is like a baby still really, who needs to be restrained so that she doesn't run across the road, who still needs so much looking after even though she is fully grown. 

A little later, near the end of the parade's course, I saw the father come around to the front of the wheelchair and take a photograph of his daughter, her delight almost palpable.  And he was grinning with it all too, he was so glad for his daughter, and he wanted to commemorate this day with a photograph, just as a regular person would, just like I did today too.  I took a few pictures of my boys standing tall and handsome with all their friends, smiling, but understanding everything, being aware of one another, conscious of their lives, planning what next to do with their free Sunday, watching girls, interacting, my beloved, just-about grown-up sons.  And I thought, no matter what you children turn out to be, they are still your children, you still love them with that enormous parental love.  That damaged girl is so lucky to have a dad like that.

It was about 35C today, and humid, so I didn't really have time to run because we went out to supper too.

In Campagny (continued)
"I am Luca", he said.  "I come from another time."
"Looker", responded the parrot, "This is clear, but how did you come?"
"I followed Norena when she left, so I knew the gate."
The parrot regarded him quizzically.  "Who is Norena?"
"She came to our time for supplies and I helped her.  Her name is Norena Skull-Engraver."
The parrot told him then that there were thousands of people in this farea, and she didn't know any Norenas.  Luca responded that he had to find her, that he would find her, that she was a skull-engraver, which shouldn't be too hard to find.

The bird gazed out over the green landscape.  Luca looked too, and saw a wide blue sky for the first time in his life.  Light streamed over everything, beautiful to see. 

"I am the guard of this gate.  My name is Beeze." said the parrot, stretching out one green and blue wing and then the other, in a dignified, unhurried manner.  "I decide if you stay or go back." 

Luca briefly wondered how a smallish bird could stop a grown man from staying if he really wanted to, but he refrained from saying anything.

"Looker," said the bird eventually, after contemplating the valley for an interminable time, "Why is my name Beeze?"

Luca racked his brains for a few seconds, then answered, "Because you're the breeze without the Rrrrrrrrrr", and he rolled his r's together in a long flowing tongue-tapping sound.

The bird regarded him with what would, on a human, have been a smile.