Old People

Have you ever seen old folks overlooking a beautiful vista, say, at the beach?

Their eyes seem focused on some distant point...lost in reverie.

They appear humble and deflated, perhaps due to loss or lonliness?

We were sitting at the dinner table.  Yea, I brought the King of ignorance to meet the family...only to prove to my mother that, despite the fact I never married, I'm actually NOT gay.

At the dinner table, the King thought it would be funny to ask if anyone had ever been in jail. Because we are a morally righteous family, he expected a chortle, perhaps a guffaw.

My 75 year old mother commented she had been arrested twice.  In my family...that's nothing.  I mean, my grandparents practically met in jail...(It's an IRA thing...freedom fighters.) There are no actual "criminals".  Just political dissidents.

I was speeding at age 17, she was my passenger, the cop pulled us over...made me get in the patrol car.  She got out of our car and tapped on the policeman's window. "What are you doing with my daughter?" she implored. He arrested her for obstruction of justice.

The king asked, so when was the second time?

"None of your fucking business" she said. 

My point?  There is no distant look of reverie in MY mothers eyes.