Our drive home was calm. All family
in back seats, chatting; and laughing. An
orange sun
settling to earth and pillow clouds
floating away against
a darkening blue.
Affable.
Earlier, Andrew
had refused to let anyone at dinner
rest or detach
until they were included.
‘All of us!!’ he loves to say and uses
tricks like I-spy or other
guessing games, singing - so that even the
poor,
silent types who love disconnection
find it hard to avoid, without being rude.
It takes a remarkable act of will to
include everyone
when some can’t really be bothered.
But now, with engine purring and sky
darkening,
Andrew (the boy) sitting next to me, and
family
laughing away in the back, is quiet.
And he is virtually never quiet!
But he looks at me sideways,
with a strange little smile
and time stops
and he nods a nod of knowing,
and I nod back, because we know
in our secret nodding club
he has done his work today;
his ineffable work of connection,
in play now,
in play.
