Growing Up Too Fast

Car Ride Conversations.

There is nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, so the conversations get interesting.

“Dad, I want to go to college,” Son #1 quips.

Where did that come from? “You will, someday, Son.”

“I will?”

“Yes. Or you could go to a trade school. Learn how to do something specific well.”

“Okay, I’ll go to a tray School.”

Several miles later, he pipes up again, “Hey, Dad, what about Bible School?”

“Yeah, you could do that. I’ve heard Heritage Seminary is a good one.” I said. “A Bible School is where you learn more about the Bible.”

“Well, I already know about Noah and the Ark.”

“Yeah, you’re all set then.”

A few miles later, “Hey, Dad.”

“What?”

“I gotta pee.”

We were in the middle of nowhere, but there was no shoulder and exactly zero side roads. There was no signage indicating nearby filling stations.

Ten miles later, we found a tiny storage building with 24-hour surveillance and security cameras pointing in every conceivable direction — which probably meant they would track us down and give us a citation for indecent exposure in a cow pasture.

After watering the hay, we left the storage buildings, and within a half mile, there was a brand-new Casey’s gas station.

Thirty minutes later, Son #1 said, “I wanna go to college.”

“You will.”

“No, I wanna go NOW. Take me to college today, Dad.”

“Don’t rush it, Son. You’ll be there soon enough.”

“I will?”

“Yes, and it will probably be a good idea to start and finish kindergarten first.”

here today and gone tomorrow,
– Caleb