Diamond in the Rough

My friend Katie visited this week with her four year old son Fletcher. They stayed for two nights and we ended up having a really nice time. When Katie and I talk on the phone, I can usually hear Fletcher in the background and sometimes he likes to talk to me too. But seeing this boy is another thing entirely. He is sooooo good! He is not only polite, but sweet and sincere. I asked him in the morning how his sleep in the van was and he tells me that it was good. But then he asks ME how MY sleep was.... He's so thoughtful that way. He always begins a sentence with "Excuse me.." He is always saying excuse me before he speaks because Katie doesn't like him interrupting. His dad is the deputy chief in their local fire department and so he is very interested in anything fire department related. Rob took him to the fire hall to look at all of their big trucks. He was so thrilled. Rob took pictures of him in a bunch of the trucks so Fletcher could bring them home to show his dad. Rob and Fletcher were like two peas in a pod. They both shared a fascination with the van. Rob showed him all of the improvements he made in the van and Fletcher was genuinely impressed and excited about them. (More so than I ever am!)
 I took Fletcher and Katie to the Market with the Goat's on the roof. (Wasn't I just there touring Andrea around last week? Why yes, I was. It's visiting season.. Typically we are at the market much of the summer with different guests.) He bought a set of wooden swords and shields for him and his dad, for Father's Day. Talk about the perfect gift for a dad. This boy loves his dad like I've never seen before. It actually made me sad for boys that lose their dads in a divorce. I see how much Fletcher adores his dad, how much he wants to be just like him and I realize that if his dad ever left- he would be beyond devastated. It made me think of my brother and how much he loved my dad and how many times dad disappointed him when he was just a kid. I mean, he disappointed all of us. But there's something about a boy and wanting to impress his dad. It's .. different.
 The excursion to the market went so well because I forgot Katie is a lot like me. She doesn't like to shop around looking at hippy dresses. Most of the stores are more or less alike so I didn't have to spend hours browsing in essentially the same store over and over again! I forget these things about my friend.. "Oh yeah- you hate shopping like me!"
 Fletcher scored a bunch of times on his trip. Katie and Fletcher came to visit family in Vancouver last week. They came over to the island to meet Alina and to visit other friends in Victoria. He's such a likeable little guy that he is quite spoiled. I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm just being honest. He is liked by so many people that he ends up getting a lot of cool stuff. Rob ended up giving him a fire truck and QBFD fire t-shirt. Our back lane neighbour owns an old Fire Rescue van that he parks in his backyard. Fletcher saw the lights peeking over the fence and knew instantly that it was something fire department related. Later on in the day, our neighbour happened to be pulling that van out for the car show this weekend. Rob took Fletcher over to see it up close. He shook our neighbour's hand and showed his cute, genuine interest in everything. It was about ten minutes later that our neighbour returned with a Matchbox ambulance and fire truck for him to take on the ferry. It's the little gestures from people that just meet the little guy that show what a good kid he is. I'm not only proud to introduce Fletcher to people I know. But I'm so proud of my best friend for raising her son right! There are so many children out there that are complete brats. It's just nice to see a real gem once in awhile.
 I hope that Alina is like that. I will work hard with her to be a respectful, polite, genuine little soul- just like her pal Fletch.
 Tuesday this week I took Andrea to the airport and Wednesday Katie came to town.  It's been another busy week, but I'm grateful for it!
 Katie and I had a fire in the backyard on both nights that she was here. We had a beer or two and listened to tunes and stared at the fire. It was so nice to just sit and chat with an old friend, about old stories and people and places from my childhood and adolescence. We've been buds since Katie was six and I was eight. We both grew up in the same neighbourhood and struggled with similar parental issues. Our parents were tighter with money, so we never asked them for any, like a lot of our friends did. Our parents were divorced. When we wanted to go to the valley- (about ten minutes from where we lived) we had to get our friend's parents to pick us up because our parents just didn't want to give us a ride. It was small things but we had them in common and I think that's why we stayed so close after so many years. We understand each other and our values. We respect each other as adults. Katie is a strict mom but she has a really great kid to show for it. I look up to her and the way that she raises her son. I hope when Alina is four turning five- she can make me proud like Fletcher did this weekend.
 Here's to old friendships that last and last the test of time!

Together again.

The little knight and his new sword.

Our kids- together.