Amazing
Met an absolutely true gentleman tonight during Roselle Park’s National Night Out. We were waiting in line for the water slide with Mariposa and Ezekiel as our youngest gets more excited with each little step that brings us closer to the slide.
A bit in front of us some young pre-teen girls are blowing raspberries at each other in a joking manner. This young man (who we later find out to be) eight years old is between us and the girls.
He looks around as they do this and must have seen some reaction in my face. The young boy whispers, “I don’t think they should do that. That’s not a nice thing to do.”
I tell him, “You know what? I think so too.”
He smiles back and says, “I like the water slide. This is fun.”
His wet face shows he had been on it before. I say to him, “You are a really nice young man.”
Without missing a beat nor with any sense of self-import he responds, “I want to work to be a good man someday.”
What eight-year-old says that?!?!?!
I just instinctively put out my hand and say, “Hi. What’s your name?”
He shakes it and says, “Michael. But you can call me Mike or Mikey.”
I look to Lis and say, “Amazing!”
That young man has more sense than I ever will.
For all the disappointments we express about our little hometown, there are wondrous examples of decency with people such as Michael and his parents.
Simply amazing.
Seriously, what eight-year-old says that?!?!?