Strange exchange

One night Vincent actually stayed home with us in part because he'd reached his father. We got desperate enough while Vincent was gone that we actually called his father - we also figured he might have called his father, possibly about going up there. Historically, either of us would have hid something going wrong from each other, but we went ahead and called. After Vincent's father did a big speech in August urging Vincent to keep his eye on the ball, he apparently was consistent and urged Vincent to go back home. We felt a little bad we hadn't called him back to let him know that Vincent had indeed come back. But in the middle of the week Vincent and he were in contact because he was helping move someone to Louisville (once before with and once before without Vincent, he'd been in town). We got Vincent a camera before he went to Denmark and amazingly he brought it back (full of pictures). He'd taken it when he went to Ohio for a week or so in late July/early August and had left it at his aunt's house (in the house in which he was conceived, across the street from Stephanie's grandparents' house, where she lived). We hadn't had a chance to get it back and although Vincent had asked his father to mail it to him it had not arrived. Vincent wanted a camera for while the Danes were here, and so he persuaded his father to bring it on this moving run. Vincent's father's moving colleagues were eager to get back to Columbus (it was already about 1o p.m.) and they didn't know Louisville (and in fact Vincent's father had gotten lost the last time he was in Louisville). And so we arranged to meet them at a rest area going out of town (rest area across the highway from the one at which I learned of my Grandma's death). Unfortunately, it turns out the rest area was closed so we had to meet Vincent's father for 4-5 minutes along the busy, dark Interstate 71. Above is either their truck pulling up or an earlier decoy. Vincent's father jumped out of the truck, gave Vincent the camera, talked with him and us for about three minutes, and then rushed back to the truck, for a long drive home. Nothing was said about Vincent's flight, although it should have been clear he was back with us. We actually drove a fair ways - and concocted this meeting plan (imperfect as it was - since the rest area was closed) - to meet up with him, and so Vincent should have been happy. It would take much longer, of course, for things to settle down the normal, if they ever would. Still, an odd encounter - though we were glad for Vincent to get the camera back - following up an on odd set of phone conversations with Vincent's father.

-- Perry