We met our friend Jamie Reagan and her 19 month old son Jeremiah at our favorite old, Mexican food restaurant in Pittsburg: El Charro (in Spanish this means "the Charro". It's a good thing we were running ahead of schedule because they were busy for graduation and the place was packed. Jamie and Jeremiah were a delight. Jamie caught me up on all the gossip at Frontenac High School, the school I first taught. She and Marian traded mom stories. Then it was time to go.
We decided to split up. I'd take Jack into the commencement ceremony to sit with my mom and my grandma, and my two aunts, their husbands, and Shane's sister and her husband. Marian would take Leo and go to the "mall" in Pittsburg. Mom and I were texting back and forth, communicating where we were, how long we'd be, etc. So, Jack and I found them easily.
We arrived right at the scheduled starting time, but they didn't actually play and sing the national anthem until 7:45, fifteen minutes late, to get things started. This gave me some time to people watch and think.
Pittsburg was a town in which I didn't think I'd stay for long. I had plans to just get my degree and take off to the next destination. I had had it in my mind, probably from listening to other "negative Nancies", that I didn't like Pittsburg, though I didn't know why. Well, without going into all the sordid details, I extended my schooling there, and then kept extending it. Then, of course, I met Marian and that changed things too. I ended up staying there nine years, or somewhere close to that.
Pittsburg looked good. They had widened Broadway street in the downtown, and also added all new streetlamps and traffic signals in black. It looked nice. Most of Pittsburg looked the same, some new businesses were there.
I did recognize a few students from Frontenac High School I'd taught. We all had difficulty remembering each other's names, but once we heard them they became familiar. A pair of boys I'd taught admitted they couldn't remember my name, but they remembered that eagle song I played for the talent show. I guess I made an impression that way.
I also sort of realized all of the cousins are all grown up now. Shane was the last of us to graduate from college. All this time I still thought of him as my little cousin. But, let's face it. He's a full head taller than me and probably has at least fifty or more pounds on me, so he's anything but my little cousin, except in age.
It made me wonder how much longer all of us will be getting together like that. Neither of my parents get together with their cousins. With Ross out in Montana, who knows whether he'll come back or not, or when.
I also spoke briefly with one of my foremen at the construction company I worked for while living in Pittsburg. "Spinning Jim" earned his name from his attempt to multi-task about half a dozen different things on the job site and the ensuing flurry of activity surrounding him as he tried to get a bearing on what he started out doing. He drove this panel van, on its last leg, full about waist high with all the tools of the trade he owned. He'd pull up to the job site at quitting time and just start chucking things in there with no regard to position. We always told him to never get his brakes fixed, because if he suddenly had the ability to stop the van suddenly he'd get his head taken off by a flying "c" clamp, or router, or saw blade or something flying up front from the back. Another old man I worked with there told me how spinning Jim once sneezed driving down the road and it caused his false teeth to fly out the window causing him to stop the van and retrieve them from out of the road way.
I'm sure Shane will make all of us proud. He's going to be employed with Xerox. He's a very nice young man with good morals and I know he'll be successful at whatever he does.
Jack did well sitting with us in the crowded gymnasium. We took one extended potty break and I let him run around outside amidst all the cigarette smoke from those who hover near the entrance doors on occasions like this. Then Marian called me on mom's cell phone. She had some clothes picked out to buy but I had the credit card. So we arranged a swap out front of the gym.
When Shane walked through we all stood and clapped and yelled and his mom Becky and dad Randy honked one of those clown horns you see on bicycles sometimes. Shane smiled and waved and played it cool.
After the ceremony, Marian picked us up and we attended the reception at a church. They had some good cake and ice cream and drinks. Jack and Leo ran and crawled all around having a ball. We stayed there until eleven o'clock. We dressed the boys in the pajamas and took off for home. They were asleep nearly before we got out of the driveway. We arrived home right about one o'clock.
The next day was rainy and we attended another graduation reception, this time in Lawrence, outside. We met in a nice covered shelter, but it was cool, windy, and rainy. The kids all had a blast playing while the adults grumbled. After that we went to Marian's parents for about an hour to warm up and visit before we headed home.
It was good to see my "alma mater". I had to use that term just once, to pacify my mother.
She's very fond of that term and finds new and creative ways to use it in conversations with me. Now, Shane will look back with glowing fondness of his years spent at his alma mater.
