Snapshot Parts 1 and 2

 

Part 1: What a lovely day here at Oak Creek Canyon. Here am I with my four-year-old daughter Lorrie, with our fishing polls. With the sun is shining like crystals, and the air feeling warm, catching fish should be no problem. We jump from rock to rock, until the two of us reach a rock in the center of the creek. Here, we sink our polls in the water for fish. But as we do that, Lorrie tells me, “There’s something moving in the water Daddy. I think it’s a snake!” I then tell her, “Now Lorrie, that’s not funny. You know I don’t like snakes.” “But Daddy, I swear. It looks like a snake.” I finally get fed up. “Lorrie, this is ridiculous. I’ll prove to you it’s not a snake. Watch and learn.” With that, I use my fishing poll to push the object down under water. But as bites a hold of the poll, I raise it out of the water and start seeing eyes and a tongue. It is in fact a snake. The minute I see it, I make a break for it back to shore. But then I hear Lorrie crying back on the rock. And I can’t leave her there alone to face the serpent. I double back to the rock, pick her up and rush as quickly as I can back to shore. All I can say is I am not going through that nightmare again.

Part 2:  Eighteen years have passed since Lorrie and I escaped the clutches of the fearsome snake.  She is graduating from Berkeley University today. Both my wife and I are extremely proud of her. She has come a long way from that little frightened girl to a confident person. Four years of being a college student, and now she is going out into the world to make something of herself. Oh, I can’t wait to see her in her cap and gown,  getting her diploma.

My mom was an alcoholic and very controlling.  My dad died before I was born.  I never wanted to be like my mom.  So even though I paid for all of Lorrie’s education, every penny of her out-of-state tuition, I never asked to see her grades.  I never even asked what her major was.

So there we are. I see my daughter receive her diploma.  She looks so happy, and she searches the audience for me.  When she sees me she waves and I am filled with pride.  To be honest, I am a little concerned about her major.  Anthropology?  What does someone do with an Anthropology degree.  But still, graduating from Berkeley.  That is a big deal.

After the ceremony, the parents and graduates and professors gather together at the Faculty club.  I muse about the $60,000 in tuition, and how much cheap champagne and cheese I’ll have to eat to make it up.  Lorrie wants to introduce me to her favorite professor who smiles at me and says “you have a great little folklorist on your hands”.  I feel like the Earth is going to swallow me whole.