31/52 - The Place Where Dreams Come True
Eleven years ago this October, Will announced he was moving to California.
“That would be nice someday,” we said.
“No, I mean this month. After we get back from the beach.”
“Well…,” we stalled. “How will you get there?”
“I’ll drive. In the Scion.”
“Do you know how far it is across the country?”
“Yes.”
“Uhhh…,” another stall. “What will you do when you get there? Where will you live?”
“I’ll figure it out when I get there.”
We let this lie for a bit while we collected our thoughts. On the one hand, WTH? On the other, he was, as I am fond of saying, a grown-ass, almost 26-year-old man. And maybe he would change his mind.
But he didn’t.
In a stroke of divine guidance, we decided to trust the grown-ass man's instinct. And pray.
In another inspired moment, I realized I had a business meeting in Anaheim at the end of October.
“What would you think if I drove with you?”
“That would be great.”
Thus began one of the most meaningful weeks of my life, traveling the length of I-40 with my son with a surfboard strapped to the roof of the mighty (not) Psion. The latter attracted some curious looks as we crossed the desert.
During my meeting, Will arranged temporary lodgings in a friend's garage. This was about the full extent of his preparations for a life in California before my scheduled departure from John Wayne International Airport.
As we drove to the airport, we struggled in the typical fashion of grown-ass men dealing with powerful emotions and thus didn't say much. He pulled into the departure area. We both got out and stood there for a moment and then hugged – hard -- tears streaming down our faces.
As I walked away, trying very hard not to look back and risk turning into a pillar of salt, a luggage guy who had been watching all this said, “Your son, right?” I nodded, and he said, “It’s so tough.”
Indeed.
Later that day, I posted this message on Facebook, praying it would be true.
October 24, 2013. Milepost Zero, at the airport, and headed east. Thanks, Will Mancini, for one of the best weeks of my life. Be safe and be happy.
NEMO: Love you, Dad.
MARLIN: I love you too, son.
NEMO: Oh, Dad, you can let go now.
MARLIN: Sorry! Now go have an adventure!
Fast forward almost 11 years. Everything we could have wished for Will has come true. He has a challenging job and lots of friends. He is now bilingual, likely despite rather than because of that one semester of Spanish in Australia with a professor from Northern Virginia. And most miraculously, Nathalie Cervantes and her family have entered Will’s life. He is engaged to a wonderful woman and loved by her large and super fun family. My father would have said, “He has ‘direction!’”
We imagined that life couldn’t get much better. But we were wrong.
Last week, we were invited to San Diego for a visit and for a brunch at a super nice place in San Diego to celebrate our anniversary (“Make sure to bring nice clothes; they have a dress code”) and a trip to the wine country in Mexico with Nats’ mother and sister.
As we waited in the lobby with Perla and Fernanda to celebrate our anniversary brunch, marveling that we were early, we noticed a now fully-grown-assed man in a dark suit and a beautiful woman in white enter from down the corridor.
They handed us an invitation to a wedding. Date? "Today."
I couldn't do justice to the love and laughs and tears we experienced with Will and Nats and Perla and Fernanda over the next few days. All I can say is that it was magical. Just magical.
Everyone who knows our family knows that Fields of Dreams is the penultimate source of all father-son wisdom. We’ve watched it a gazillion times, crying every time. With a tiny bit of editing…
Father: Is this heaven?
Son: It's California.
Father: California? I could have sworn this was heaven.
[starts to walk away]
Son: Is there a heaven?
Father: Oh yeah. It's the place where dreams come true.
Sometimes, the full realization of your dreams requires taking a risk on someone. It requires a lot of trust. It can even require 3,935 days.
Now go have an adventure!
