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A fleeting, subjective impression
By: Allison Elizabeth Whitney
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| Tuesday, 2-Jun-2009 06:09 |
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Kemah
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After giving Ali a little speech about the writing on the wall of his classroom, we rewarded him with a trip to Kemah Boardwalk.
It was a reward for finishing the year with outstanding grades and staying relatively trouble free. We had already promised his friends and him we would take them to the boardwalk to have dinner and get sick on the rides. He's leaving next week to be with his dad and grandparents and I want to do things he wants to do because I'm going to miss him so much. They enjoy riding the Boardwalk Bullet rollercoaster. It was the only ride not completely damaged by hurricane Ike, and it's the world's most compact wooden rollercoaster.
We walked into a restaurant I did some work with after the hurricane destroyed much of its interior. The head chef and manager of the restaurant came out to the dining room to publicly praise me for helping bring the restaurant back to working order and making it more beautiful than ever. I am so uncomfortable with public praise and acknowledgment. It feels like receiving a gift when you least expect it and the moment leaves you feeling a bit awkward. I never know what to do in those situations. At openings, I usually accept thanks and acknowledgments with my team or if it's a big deal, I pass them over to my boss at the firm. I'm fine doing my job and getting a simple, "Job well done!"
Ali was so proud. For years, he's seen me as the professional color-coder. He's seen me in magazines and in newspapers, but he still didn't get it. I had to explain to him that these two men put everything they had into this restaurant only months before the hurricane came and destroyed it, leaving their hopes and dreams to wash back into the ocean. I still remember the looks on the men's faces when we went to assess the damage. They had already seen the restaurant a couple of times prior to my trip out to the island and Umi, the chef, still broke down.
I think Umi's appreciation through hugs and kisses and a demand for a round of applause helped Ali realize I do a little more than match colors.
He came in this evening smelling like rust and sawdust (he likes to tinker around in the garage with his friends and build things). I was working on some arrangements for a residence I'm going to be working with in these next few weeks. The couple has adopted a little boy and he will be arriving in four weeks. Never before has Ali sat down and actually had a conversation with me about my work. For the first time, he sat with me and looked at some pictures, paint samples, floor samples, and light fixtures. He didn't say much, he just looked through them with me and pointed at ones he liked best. When we got to crown molding, he realized he wanted chocolate pudding and left me to myself.
I was simply thrilled he showed a slight interest and understanding of what I do.
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