HANNAH #14

What Our Wishes Say About Us

And what they don’t

We were down to having only three weeks left in Terre Haute. I was finally getting used to the pace, and the heat, and the experience of hanging out with my dad.

Lucy and I were doing much better. Last night the two of us discussed To Kill a Mockingbird, and she surprised me when she said that Calpurnia was her favorite character. I liked Calpurnia as well, but I wouldn’t say she was my favorite. I would probably have said Scout, or Atticus, or maybe even Boo Radley, who saves the day. How Lucy saw it,

“I loved Calpurnia because, in the quietest of ways, she keeps the order. You said what you loved about Atticus was his ‘moral compass.’ I like that expression though I would never have thought of it. I think Calpurnia has a strong moral compass as well, but in a less obvious way.”

Lucy’s observation really surprised me. I was starting to see that Lucy’s rough surface said nothing about how she was inside. There were some gems down deep in her. You just had to dig a bit.

At the end of the evening — when we had done a very thorough job of discussing the characters, the plot, and what Harper Lee was trying to say — we decided to chew a few sticks of gum because that was what Boo Radley had left in the tree for Jem and Scout. It was our way of paying tribute.

When I woke up the next morning and was getting ready to write before I acquiesced (another great adult word that says more than “silently agreed”) to playing tennis with Ben, my dad surprised me.

Dad: Lucy had a suggestion she wanted me to run by you and Ben.

Me: Ok, what?

Dad: She wants everyone to have one wish fulfilled before the end of the summer. She says that this would be a great way to sum up our time together.

Me: What kind of wish?

Dad: I asked Lucy, and she said that if we put limits on the wish, it wouldn’t be a true wish. She also said it would take all the fun out of it. The good news is that I’ve got my wish figured out.

Me: You do? What’s your wish?

Dad: Lucy and I are going to make you guys a wonderful dinner. It will have a few surprises — and the surprise won’t just be seeing me in the kitchen, apron and all. Lucy said she would help. That was also part of my wish.

Me: I’ll have to give my wish some thought.

And just at that moment, in walks Ben, dressed in tennis whites, even though you can wear anything on the courts in Terre Haute. My dad repeats Lucy’s idea of making a wish before ending our summer, and before my dad can share his wish, Ben instantly volunteers that he knows what he wants.

Me: Ben, don’t you want to think about it some?

Ben: I don’t need to.

Dad: Well, now you’ve got me curious. What’s your wish?

Ben: I’d like for all four of us to play tennis together.

Dad: Ok, but you know that I don’t play tennis.

Ben: I am well aware of that, but you play softball, so you must have some hand-eye coordination, and anyway, it will be fun. If nothing else, it will give us a good laugh.

Dad: All right then. I will let Lucy know. I doubt she has any tennis game either, but as you’ve pointed out, it doesn’t matter.

This whole conversation left me in a daze. My dad was going to make us dinner with the help of Lucy. Ben was going to get everyone on the tennis court which would probably be more giggles than game. I had no idea what Lucy’s wish would be or mine for that matter. I was only responsible for me, though, so that is where I focused.

And by “focused,” I decided it was a good time to write Alfred. Terre Haute was turning out to be quite a content-rich place for a writer. I had a lot of new material to work with.

Alfred,

Boy, have you been on my mind! What would you say if I asked you to name one wish you would like to end your summer on? Would you have a clue? Would you need to think about it? I am guessing that your answer would involve Nellie — maybe some training feat you are hoping you can achieve.

I was asked this exact question this morning. Ending the summer with a fulfilled wish was actually Lucy’s idea. Yes, Lucy’s and my take-two is going well. We discussed To Kill a Mockingbird last night and as you and I have shared many times, getting inside someone’s skin, or wearing their shoes, is not easy. We discussed what it must have felt like to be Calpurnia or Boo. We thought it would be very hard. And from there, we discussed what it means to have a moral compass.

I am pretty sure that my dad overheard our conversation since he was just in the kitchen, which neighbors our den. I am glad, though, because not only am I seeing Lucy differently, but he is as well. Under that skin of hers, there is a lot going on.

Which takes me to her suggestion about each of us identifying one wish that will end our summer on a good note. My dad’s wish is to make us dinner. I’m guessing that he will aim to expand our palate. Parents do that kind of thing. Ben will get us on a tennis court, no matter how little game we bring. I am not sure what Lucy will wish for.

This brings me to my wish: I am debating whether I ask people to write something, and I would give them a prompt. You know what words mean to me, speaking of which you seem to be a budding writer. What are words meaning to you these days, or is it all about the licks you get from Nellie?

Miss you and see you in just about a month. Yay!!!

Signed your friend,

Hannah

This is part of a series, “Hannah’s Journey to be Happy.” The last piece is listed below: