Inside you the time moves

Archiving old photos on Saturday was an unsettling experience for this Boy named Stu. That whole, I wish I didn't know now, the things I didn't know then, kind of a vibe, as I looked at the time and date of the various photos I archived and/or added to Flickr. Many of these photos brought tears to my eyes. Made my heart heavy in a Monday morning quarterbacking sort of a way.

The next day, Sunday morning came down hard for me, at 6am. "Daddy..." The Elder Boy called from his room. "Daddy..."

Although the Boy is often up by 6am (if not before) I knew the reason he was up so early this Sunday. He wanted to go get donuts. Just me and him. I had done a Dad and donut thing with The Little Warrior earlier in the week, before I took him to school. Not only did Wy get this alone time with yours truly, he also got the kind of donut that E normally gets --- which was the kind of donut I got as a kid. Sibling rivalry and equal time was at play at Casa Tinsley.

"Daddy..."

After we quickly and quietly dressed, the Elder Boy and I stepped out into an alien environment. Fog. It was crazy thick, and visibility had to be at a quarter mile at best.

"Wow," I said. "Check out the fog. Isn't it amazing?"

Nothing.

"Ok Boy, do you want to ride in Mom's car," I asked. "Or ride in Daddy's?" I hoped he'd pick My Lovely Bride's ride, which is easier to get the Boy(s) in and out of, plus it would warm up a lot faster than my old SUV.

"Your car."

I guess he wanted the full Daddy experience.

"Ok. Why don't you ride up front with me," I said, because I'm lazy and didn't want to have to deal with the old car seats in my back seat.

Silence, although the look he gave me was answer enough. I figured he was afraid that we'd be breaking the law if he rode up front, so I said, "Boy, it's not that much farther than your school, and you ride up front there...you'll have your seat belt on, and it's early, who's up at 6am on Sunday morning? Except the paper man!"

"I don't want to ride up front," He said, and then climbed into my front seat, placing his muddy foot where I would soon sit, and climbed into the back.

"Do you need for me to strap you in or can you get it?" I asked.

"I can do it. Let's go."

Go we did. Through a thick fog that made our neighborhood look like another world.

After donuts, as we walked to the car I asked, "Do you want to ride up front on the way back. It's still really early and as you can see, there's not much traffic. Daddy can go the back streets too, if you want?"

"Ok Daddy," He answered, then quickly added, "We won't get in trouble?"

"No son, we won't get into trouble. You'll be wearing your seat belt, I'll go the back roads, and it isn't that far."

Up front, the Boy had a much better vantage point of the outside world, and how dramatic the fog was that morning. After numerous questions about the fog, what causes it, and why, he finally settled back and simply enjoyed it.

It was during this silence that we passed Heights Park. Large open space, thick fog, strong park lights, Heights looked like an alien world, and was quite impressive.

"Look Boy, at the park, and the lights, that halo effect around them, and then how they seem to glow," I said, then quickly trying to preempt twenty questions, "which I think is caused because the light refracts off the moisture in the air. The park looks..." I stopped myself from saying spooky, not wanting the Boy to equate fog with anything scary..."different, doesn't it?"

Since the park was on the passenger side of our car, and the Boy was in the passenger seat, I saw him nodding his head slowly in answer to my questions. Then, suddenly he turned and looked at me, with those big brown eyes which reflected the dash board lights and said, I shit you not, "It looks like ghosts."

"Yes," I said, "it does."

Until I BLOG again...and she don't fade.