the generalisto

A Touching Moment Made Ephemeral

Bella and I took Lucian to Minnehaha Falls on Friday evening with the intent of grabbing a bite at the Sea Salt Eatery. Dining never happened but we experienced a transcendent moment that didn’t involve nature’s rugged beauty.

After photographing a couple of African law students, I sat down with Bella and Lucian to watch a large group of Mexican families celebrating a child’s fifth birthday. A cavalcade of smiles and pinatas — adults and children alike. The boy-king was rapt in attention, but never wandered closer than where the concrete contour met the sandy blades.

After watching men in cowboy boots have their way with some of the younger fathers swinging blindly, a white fuzzy bear spilled its tooth-decay treasures — the fourth pinata to do so while we had been watching. Out of nowhere a young, slightly rotund, girl from the party brought Luc a lollipop. Such a sweet gesture, especially for a child to take notice of from 30 feet away.

We were touched. As parents. As people. As whiteys from North Dakota who live in a privileged, mostly white neighborhood. So, after Lucian tried to first eat the stick and then the wrapper before I could show him how to eat his first lolly, we walked away appreciative and reveling in the kindness of the moment.

Just as we were getting in the car and reminiscing about the experience, a white middle-aged, pompous bicyclist all geared up screamed “You fucking asshole!” to a car that was trying to turn around in the middle of the street. Sure as hell, it was a young black dude with a couple of friends and girlfriends. Without a pause, the driver yelled — no, he really just spoke more audibly — in the coolest, most relaxed manner: “You betta shut yo’ moud. I’ll beat yo’ ass!” Then he sped up and the honky buzzed on to a bike path pedaling his pasty, hairsticks at a squirrel’s racing pace.

Keeping it real. And now we have a tale to preserve the memory of the earlier experience.