Steve,
For us the larger cycle ended yesterday when we drove away from CW. It was a moment so full that it is indescribable. The drive back to Dallas was a quiet one, but I think, overall, we felt very good about where he is, and even more than that, who he is.
He is in Brown College (Rice being organized around the English system of assigned colleges within the university). The theme of Brown this year is Star Wars and as we parked the rented van (15 passenger with last two seats removed- that thing ate gas like you wouldn't believe) we were greeted by loud music pouring from the dorm- the Star Wars theme, of course. In the lobby, fullsize figures of Darth Vader and Wookie stood around and inflated spacecrafts hung from the ceiling. CW signed in and was given his room key, a May the Force Be With You t-shirt, and a light saber. There were two elevators, one of which was already broken, so the line of dollies loaded with refrigerators, tvs, suitcases, and HUGE amounts of unbelievable computer equipment, was long.
We got off on the seventh floor and I thought, hmm, this is odd. THere were branches and twigs stuck all over the ceiling. Finally figured out that that particular floor was the Ewok forest. His room has a spectacular view over the campus and of the Galleria skyline in the distance.
Down we went to begin hauling all the stuff up-- the infamous Houston humidity drenching everyone in seconds. On the second trip up, Ammo and I got on the elevator but Dan couldn't fit so we went without him.
In the room, CW had started setting up his computer (first things first) so I began making his bed and putting clothes away. We waited and waited. No Dan. Finally Ammo and I went to look for him. We couldn't find him anywhere, but ran into one of CW's advisors, an energetic, friendly girl who had just gotten back from Scotland where she'd been to an ultimate frisbee tournament. We told her we were missing a father, having last seen him at the elevator. Oh, she said.
Umm- there's a rumor that there's a bunch of people stuck between floors.
Dan emerged an hour later. He didn't believe me that he was actually lucky, because meanwhile we had made three trips back and forth and carried things up seven flights of stairs until I thought someone would have to carry me. He WAS proud however, that he had entertained his fellow prisoners with clever one liners like, Anyone seen Dennis Hopper around? CW by now has his computer up and running and is happily arranging his pictures and toys. I don't pretend to understand college décor. He unpacked his lava lamp, picture of Stacy, stop sign, silicone breast implant, the empty sixpack of O'Doule's from his party, and the plastic frog that croaks when you walk by it. Male nesting. He wasn't at all interested in how I've arranged his T-shirts in the drawers by color.
HIs roommate arrives, and we feel obligated to help him carry things up, as both elevators remain dead, and he has only a mother, a girlfriend, and a small nine year old brother to carry things. He also has a 27" TV, a refrigerator with freezer, and a VCR. Dan and Ammo carry the refrigerator up the seven flights. Dan arrives in the room, dripping blood. THank heavens I packed a first aid kit for CW. By now, Dan's mood is not good. We go down to the buffet following his trail of blood down the stairs.
CW runs into the Brown COllege president and asks about getting online. THe pres is a computer major, and says, let's go do it now! GOd, computer people are all alike. I refuse to climb those stairs again, so we sit and wait and watch people carrying things in, which was fun now that we were done. CW comes down really happy. The pres was impressed by his enormous bandwidth and something about his having installed Windows NT, so CW feels he has made a good initial impression.
The buffet impressed me with its healthiness-- lots of fruit and vegetables. We sit with a couple of advisors who tell us that tonight there's a scavenger hunt, and tomorrow night something called a jello hop, where you drink jello and then jump around on one of those big balls. This is an audition for the yearly beer-bike competition, where you chug beer (or water if under 21) and then ride a bike until you throw up or something. I see CW's competitive juices start to flow. He's ready for us to leave.
So we do- and I don't cry at all until I look back and see him waving the I Love You sign at us until we can no longer see him... |
