We arrived at the designated meeting place at the entrance to Luxembourg park an hour late. Would he make up for us operating on "Mexican time" and still be waiting for us? Yes! We sighted him across the street. We were so thankful he hadn't given up on us and gone home. We walked down the street several blocks to a good crepe place right next to the Saint-Michel fountain. It was so nice to have someone who spoke French who could order for us and translate for us (does he have a bath room in his cafe?). While we chatted about where Octavio lives and what school in Paris is like, the young man cooked up three delicious crepes (chocolate with coconut this time, oh pure delight!). As we ate and talked we strolled to the fountain. While Bob talked with Tavo I got distracted by the young men who were doing a sort of break dancing in front of the fountain and began filming them to take back to our kids. Our time with Tavo was coming to an end and he offered to walk back up with us to the McDonalds where there was a ladies' room. I thought that was awful sweet until we arrived and he asked one of the young women employees what the code was for the bath room. Thankfully she gave it to him (though she got into an altercation with another male employee because she did). Thankfully he had gone with us because we had no idea that's how things operated. We sat and talked some more and gave him his care package, witnessed him signing his credit card as his mom had asked us to do ("We can't leave until you sign it in front of us. That was your Mama's instructions.") I took a few more photos to show Mama. It was so good to see him and see what his months of living on his own in a foreign culture had done for him and hear about the friends he had made, the jazz he had gotten enjoy (Octavio is a musician into jazz). The last time we had seen him was the day of Sam's wedding when Octavio was going to graduate from high school that night. But his months of having to fend for himself, find the best priced train tickets for his excursions on his own, do his own shopping or find the food that was great for a student's budget; it all had paid off and we enjoyed visiting with this older and wiser young man. Mama can be proud of him.
Thank you so much, my dear Donna! I´ve read the story again and again as if by doing it I could be with my "baby boy". And by the way... you´re right! His mom is proud of him greatly!
Posted by: Nuria | 06/05/2009 at 09:55 PM