A story.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:48 am
As some of you know, I'm a trustee of a summer camp in Maine. I've been spending my summer vacations there for 30 years. In the course of those years I've seen all kinds of kids... and parents. Some of the things parents do to their children will make you cry. Others will make you smile.
While doing some photo editing work, I came upon these pictures from last summer. There is a story behind them that I wanted you to share with me because no one else will and besides, what choice do you have?
Once upon a time, there was Alexie. Last summer this minuscule and quiet little girl of fragile health suddenly appeared at the camp. She wasn't defenseless, though. She could knock you down at a hundred yards with one of her ballistic smiles. She instantly owned us.
The one time she wasn't smiling was on her birthday. It was an important day because she had reached the venerable age of seven, and yet no phone rang for her, no letter came. This little girl really missed her family, especially her father who was a Very Busy Man.
But then a strange thing happened. As she got up after her afternoon nap (this being a place where naps are serious business and should never be interrupted, even by Very Special Visitors), a Very Special Visitor arrived in a golf cart and, raising quite a ruckus, insistently demanded that she come out to him. And this at last brought a smile to her face, not one of her devastating smiles of course, but a smile nonetheless...
... because this Very Special Visitor was a Big and Clumsy Clown, singing and yelling silly things and jumping all over the place, who then proceeded to bestow upon her vast amounts of little gifts and also an enormous birthday card, which somehow he had found the time to make entirely by hand,
which is no simple feat for a Very Busy Man, as the Big and Clumsy Clown turned out to be when at last one of the mischievious kids took out the big wig and the big red sponge nose, to the utter astonishment of the little girl who hadn't seen it coming at all.
And as he sat there panting and sweating profusely after all that jumping around and yelling of silly things which he was no longer accustomed to because his college days were long over, the little girl wiped the make-up off and under it there was really her father, who had driven four hundred miles just to be close to her on this special day, and because there was so many things he wanted to tell her that he had never had the time to.
But as the crowd dispersed and they were alone together he found that he didn't know what to say, or was it because he couldn't find the words anymore.
But it was okay. Sometimes with little girls you don't have to say anything.
So when after some time (and after Chacal gave him a Very Cold Beer) her father left for his four hundred miles drive back to work, the minuscule little girl was smiling again and she could go on owning everyone, and she lived happily ever after, which is of course how all good stories should end.
Chacal.
While doing some photo editing work, I came upon these pictures from last summer. There is a story behind them that I wanted you to share with me because no one else will and besides, what choice do you have?
Once upon a time, there was Alexie. Last summer this minuscule and quiet little girl of fragile health suddenly appeared at the camp. She wasn't defenseless, though. She could knock you down at a hundred yards with one of her ballistic smiles. She instantly owned us.
The one time she wasn't smiling was on her birthday. It was an important day because she had reached the venerable age of seven, and yet no phone rang for her, no letter came. This little girl really missed her family, especially her father who was a Very Busy Man.
But then a strange thing happened. As she got up after her afternoon nap (this being a place where naps are serious business and should never be interrupted, even by Very Special Visitors), a Very Special Visitor arrived in a golf cart and, raising quite a ruckus, insistently demanded that she come out to him. And this at last brought a smile to her face, not one of her devastating smiles of course, but a smile nonetheless...
... because this Very Special Visitor was a Big and Clumsy Clown, singing and yelling silly things and jumping all over the place, who then proceeded to bestow upon her vast amounts of little gifts and also an enormous birthday card, which somehow he had found the time to make entirely by hand,
which is no simple feat for a Very Busy Man, as the Big and Clumsy Clown turned out to be when at last one of the mischievious kids took out the big wig and the big red sponge nose, to the utter astonishment of the little girl who hadn't seen it coming at all.
And as he sat there panting and sweating profusely after all that jumping around and yelling of silly things which he was no longer accustomed to because his college days were long over, the little girl wiped the make-up off and under it there was really her father, who had driven four hundred miles just to be close to her on this special day, and because there was so many things he wanted to tell her that he had never had the time to.
But as the crowd dispersed and they were alone together he found that he didn't know what to say, or was it because he couldn't find the words anymore.
But it was okay. Sometimes with little girls you don't have to say anything.
So when after some time (and after Chacal gave him a Very Cold Beer) her father left for his four hundred miles drive back to work, the minuscule little girl was smiling again and she could go on owning everyone, and she lived happily ever after, which is of course how all good stories should end.
Chacal.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:50 am
Beautiful story..
I half expected the clown to be you Chacal....
I half expected the clown to be you Chacal....
Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:59 am
Thanks for sharing
it's always good to read something that has meaning behind it
it's always good to read something that has meaning behind it
Tue Nov 25, 2003 3:06 am
Very touching. I too, thought the clown was Chacal
Beautiful kid. (And that is from someone who doesn't EVERY say the word 'beautiful')
Beautiful kid. (And that is from someone who doesn't EVERY say the word 'beautiful')
Tue Nov 25, 2003 5:39 am
i too , love the story..knew it wasnt you chacal, but do find it heartfull
Tue Nov 25, 2003 10:38 am
snif great story man it brought a tear to my eye
Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:05 am
Very nice story! cute kid too, Thanks for sharing the story.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:17 am
Very nice story, Chacal. It also brought tears to my eyes.
Reminds me of MY dad.
After my parents were divorced when I was young, he moved back to Maryland because there was more work there than in Florida for him. Every year though, he would drive down and be parked in my driveway on my birthday when I got home from school.
For those that don't know that's a 17 hour drive, minimum.
Reminds me of MY dad.
After my parents were divorced when I was young, he moved back to Maryland because there was more work there than in Florida for him. Every year though, he would drive down and be parked in my driveway on my birthday when I got home from school.
For those that don't know that's a 17 hour drive, minimum.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:22 am
Very good story and pictures Chacal, sounds like movie
material. we have a better idea why you go to Summer camp
now.
material. we have a better idea why you go to Summer camp
now.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 12:50 pm
Great story....nice to see that the internet can actually be useful for something other than mindless babble....
Tue Nov 25, 2003 4:37 pm
Great story Chacal and a very pretty young lady.
Tue Nov 25, 2003 4:48 pm
i was expeacting to see chacal watching ftom the distance in on eof the pictures 
Tue Nov 25, 2003 6:18 pm
Very nice Chcal..That was refreshing.