In early October in South Alabama, there are always a few incredibly bright, clear, nearly perfect days. The sky is so blue and so high that it almost hurts your eyes to look at it. The air is still and sweet, creating no ripples on the surface of the little lake. This particular day fell on a Sunday, a day of rest, relaxation, and being with family. The two cousins were together for the first time in about two months.
The one from far-off Houston, Texas had flown in with his dad for the weekend. He had attended his first Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa the night before, and he and his dad had gotten back to the grandparents' house well after midnight. The Alabama cousin had spent Saturday afternoon and night with the grandparents, eagerly looking forward to this morning that they would have together.
Even a casual observer can see a physical resemblance in the two ten year old boys, primarily due to the dark hair and olive skin coloring that are shared by many in their family. They are seven weeks apart in age. The older one is a half-inch or so taller, while the younger is the more verbal of the two. They have lived 600 miles apart since they were two, but they never waste any time getting re-acquainted when they do get together. They dive into conversations and joint activities immediately, as if they had lived next door to each other all their lives.
Despite their late night, the two boys were up and out the door that Sunday morning by 8:30. Their destination was the overflow pool at the south end of the little lake, and their mission was the collection of tadpoles and minnows from the shallow water of the pool. Their grandmother, who spent her childhood in the country, and understands the importance of such endeavors, had loaned them a glass jar and a Tupperware container to store their samples in. They somehow located a small dip net in the chaos of their grandfather's garage, and they were off on their adventure.
The grandfather moved a little more slowly, but within just a few minutes, he had gotten his walking shoes on and leashed up the family poodle to follow the boys. The poodle, a little grumpy at first about having her after-breakfast nap interrupted for a walk, brightened noticeably once she picked up the boys' scent on the sidewalk. She knows from experience that wherever the two cousins are, there will also be intriguing activity, usually involving water, mud, and interesting apparatus scattered all around. She jogged ahead of the grandfather with her head up, sniffing the air and wagging her stump of a tail excitedly.
When the man and dog arrived on the scene, the boys were already deeply involved in their project, pacing around the little pool of muddy water with their bright eyes focused on detecting any signs of movement below. They each took turns holding the dip net, with the other doing duty as spotter. The spotter would point to the surface, and in almost the same motion, the net would swoop down, scooping up water, mud, algae, and the occasional minnow or tadpole. The two dark heads would come together over the net as the boys peered intently into its contents to see if this had been a successful cast. If they had caught anything, they would move together over to where the jar and Tupperware container were waiting on the side of the road. Then, based on a classification system understood only by the two of them, they would empty their latest prey into one or the other of the containers.
The grandfather made a couple of feeble attempts at conversation, but the distracted responses from the boys let him know that their attention was directed to more compelling targets. They even ignored the blandishments of the little dog, who made a couple of attempts to get the boys to notice her, then gave up and moved over beside the man to watch the proceedings. The man reveled in the glorious day, and basked in the pleasure of watching his grandsons together.
Even though he is quite ambivalent about religion in general, he was moved to utter this silent prayer:
"God, please bless these two boys. They are gentle and loving now, help them to stay that way as they get older. See that they grow into men who will be confident enough in their own worth to respect the worth of all around them. Let them retain their curiosity about the world, and their openness to new ideas. Help them to maintain and nurture their closeness to each other. When the time comes that they really need a friend, guide them to reach back to the bond they established as children. If I can believe that these two will mean as much to each other as adults as they do today, that is all the immortality I can ask for. Amen, and amen."
Thomas R. Borden Waugh, Alabama October 6, 2010