Today marks the end of day 4 of Dad’s visit and the beginning of my “extended” vacation. Yesterday , December 12, was my last day of work for 2005. I like the fact that I can devote most of my time to hanging out and playing catch up with Dad. We’ve talked about most of my relatives and friends back in Ghana; about Dad’s consulting work and about the future.
Last night, I realized I’ve missed so much — and so has Dad. But the nice thing about all this is that, we have today and hopefully tomorrow. We’ll be in Grand Blanc, Michigan with other family members for Christmas.
At about 8pm yesterday, we started at the Montrose exit to Lake Shore Drive and took an hour long ride around the Loop. Driving on LSD at about 30mph is so nice during winter nights. At the Water Tower place, we talked about Jeffrey Archer’s reference to Michigan Avenue in The Prodigal Daughter, one of Dad’s collections that I became obsessed with months before I came to Knox.
A decade ago, Chicago seemed a distant place. Dad and I would mention it as part of our conversation only when we were discussing books we’d read. Yesterday’s ride around the city that once seemed so far away makes me wonder where Dad and I will be a decade from today. But while decades come and go, I can’t help but think that 10 years is quite far away.
For now, we’ll live in the moment. We’ll continue catching up and we’ll continue exploring the city together. It’s beautiful. A must see at night. Dad certainly enjoyed it.