And so it began,
The doors are opened onto a warmly lit room With a comfortable armchair and stool sitting across from it. A beautiful french woman doing crosswords, knitting, smiling knowingly on her couch to the side
Question period begins
Father sitting smiling attentively with the ever present twinkle in his eye and the toddler moving from the floor to the armchairs wide side rests with his head tucked in hts father's shoulder
"Daddy why is the grass green, why is the sky blue, why is snow cold and water wet.Why do you love me but get mad when I run out behind the car.
The smile spreads and the long night of answers and dreams begin.
Time passes, and the youth moves to the stool looking questionly at his father
"Dad what was the war like, what was it like to go from Glasgow to Egypt on the Queen Mary when it was a troop ship, what was it like to sit on the Great Pyramid,to sit in a bar in nuetral Istanbul during the height of the war across from a table of germans, to be a radio operator sending morse code over the expanse of the Middle east, after the war to work on the fishing trawlers in the North Sea, work in the mines of Scotland outside of Edinburgh, or to be an orderely in one of the original insane asylums when they weren't really hospitals just holding pens.Talk about why you suggest I read Plato's Republic, the Time Machine, Aristotle, Imanual Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, George orwell, W. Somerset Maugham, Wells, the Russians, the marxists, so much to think about let's talk more. What is love like for you and Mom so strong so dependable so desperate, will I have that?
Ahh the twinkle and the conversation rages on.
Time passes, now the young man rises from the stool searching for his father's ready responses
What is before me, what makes a man, what brought you to Canada, how did you meet mom, what was Charmaine like at my age, what is good, what is brave, what is hate, what is pride, I have something to tell you, I'm in love, it's very strong, I'm very confused, let's talk about it. We will never leave this room OK?
Time passes, the man pulls up a small armchair across from his father
The room is a bit dimmer, the mother is gone from the couch there is much sorrow but the twinkle is defiant and the questions keep coming
What was it like to be a lumberjack, to be a farmer, to be a welder, to be my idol, which is an unfair question but I have trouble taking it back
Time passes, the room is now dark and the toddler is whispering I love you and the father is nodding, accepting, knowing, hugging, it is late they've been up all night.
Question period is over, the twinkle was there to very end
The boy gets up and closes the door. Good night Dad, I'll never be quite alright again but thankyou, I love you Always, Jamie