Rocky Mountain Climbing #11: Coffee with a Friend
I’m a little tired today. I sent out RMC #10 this morning and have received some wonderful responses. I am tired, but I had coffee with a friend today I felt compelled to tell you about.
Actually he is my 20 year old son Keaton’s best friend. His name is Sean Rae Allen.
I have known Rae since he and Keaton started high school together. He was a big kid like my son, into computers, music and in the band. Where Keaton was kind of shy, Rae was the outgoing cut up. Yes he got into trouble with his mouth, but he was really I good kid. His family life was really difficult. He was bounced between his divorced mother and father, never really being secure. He always seemed to like it at our house since there was always food around and he was always welcome to it. He was always kind and considerate to Suzy and me. The last time I saw Rae he weighed about 225 pounds, and while not “fat” he could have stood to lose a few pounds just like us all it seems. He was on his way to marry his high school sweetheart Caitlin. As a send off I bought a graduation/wedding dinner for Keaton and Rae at a really good restaurant called Fusion owned by a gaming buddy of theirs. Well these two kids were treated to everything. The bill was $200 and they don’t even drink alcohol. Well I asked for it, so I giggled about it and wished him well.
Today I had coffee with Sean.
He still weighs 225 pounds, but looks like he weighs 180.
That’s what spending 8 months in Iraq does to boys. They become men.
He told how he missed green grass and blue skies. He told me it was really dangerous, but he offered no details because where he was isn’t really getting any press. He told me how great it was to see Keaton, who had taken the day off from school to hang around with him. He told about how he had a great time having lunch with my daughter Sarah and remarked about how much she had grown. He and Caitlin talked about setting up a Roth Retirement account, putting $100 a month in it and knew exactly how much it was going to be worth if they stopped paying in 20 years and then cashed in at age 65 ($500,000).
He told me how he was going to be stationed in El Paso after Iraq, that he was applying to officer’s school and they would send him to college. Caitlin actually grew up in El Paso and told me about how beautiful it was and how she was going to enroll at UTEP as well.
I sat and listened and only now does my heart hurt.
This child of God could have been my child. As much as I love my son and daughter, I am not sure I can love Sean and Caitlin any less.
I asked him what I could do for him. And he said he was fine. I asked what I could do for her. She said she was fine.
We parted with hugs.
As we were walking out the door I told them that we were moving and they were welcome any time to come visit us in next year Colorado. I would teach them how to ski.
He then said: “Mr. Price, are you still having the smorgasbord this Christmas?”
All these years of me telling him to call me Durk and he still calls me Mr. Price… I was honored to be called “Mr.” by this young man.
See Rae, being the food hound like Keaton remembered Suzy’s Swedish Smorgasbord we always held the first Saturday of December. He was present for 2 or 3 of them. I said yes we were intending to have it this year, but for some reason Suzy wanted to have it the second weekend of the month.
Sean said, “I can’t be there the first Saturday, but I can the second Saturday.”
As I write this I know God always meant for the Smorgasbord to be on the second Saturday of December, so our friend Sean Rae Allen and his wife Caitlin will be able to attend.
You are invited too.
What a celebration we will have.
Please pray for my friends Sean and Caitlin.
