Last Thursday in Kingston I had the pleasure of school pickup duty for Lucas. After his customary frolicking with his buddies in the kindergarten playground Lucas and I headed home. When we arrived at 24 Hill St. he declined my suggestion that we rake leaves and said he wanted to go inside instead.
Once upstairs he beetled to the new computer and plunked himself on the chair in front of it. I laughed and said 'Oh no you don't, not this early for the computer'. 'So what do we do then Granddad?' came his reply. I said 'Let's draw'.
I went to get out the paper and Lucas quickly appeared with a box of pencils and crayons. We spread our stuff on the hardwood floor and began. 'What shall we draw ?' Lucas asked. I suggested that I might draw a barn and began. Lucas announced that he was going to draw a barn too.
Of course, along with a barn comes animals ..... Lucas commented that my sheep lacked feet as I tried to have their legs come to a rather indefinite ending to blend in with the ground. So I tried to touch them up so that there appeared to be more hoof- like ends to the sheep's legs.
We both continued to draw more animals, cows,horses etc when Lucas broke the silence and said in a matter of fact manner...'Daddy liked to draw'.
I replied with what I intended to be encouraging words 'Yes he sure did like to draw' And I waited for more from Lucas. But he said no more. I thought about saying more or asking a question like 'Do you think of your Dad whenever you draw? ...but I thought better of it and didn't. Should I have said more?
I have rerun this little vignette in my mind a number of times partly out of second guessing myself and partly to prepare for the next opportunity to respond to Lucas' memory of his Dad.
I'm thinking that next time Lucas mentions his Dad I might ask Lucas to tell me more about his memories. I want to keep the door to Mike open whenever Lucas opens it.
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