The Wackness

I got Middle to the arena at about 4:00. He had heard that his favorite band would be doing a sound check then and was hoping to be able to catch it. We made it in time and he and his friend J spent some time wandering around the parking lot with their cameras.
This particular arena is in a gorgeous spot – and the sky was a beautiful blue and there was a warm wind blowing. They liked standing on the roof of the Jeep best, taking photos of the crowd. And it was a big crowd too – that early. We heard about people flying in from all over to be at this show – reportedly one of the last shows that Middle’s favorite band is going to do. It was a very different crowd than the one I observed last summer while sitting outside that arena – I don’t know if it is regional or because it was “the last show” but the crowd was older and far less weirdly decked out. They looked, if I can make a sweeping statement, more musically mature. Sure, there were a few people with lots of studs in their faces but there seemed to be a healthy mix of kids Middle’s age along with people in their 30’s and 40’s.
Because we were there so early, I got a primo parking space. I don’t think I could have been more than a couple of hundred yards from the stage (can that be?) which was outdoors.
The boys went off to find their seats and I settled in with the Sunday paper, some office work (which I never got to) and my laptop.
I had told K that I’d need a movie to watch in the car and he offered
Atonement, which I rejected. I told him I needed a Juno and he returned from the library with The Wackness.
Middle was totally impressed with The Wackness – said it is one of his favorite movies and I’ll admit, it took me a little while to get into it – but I liked it very much too.
The Wackness, if I may, is a movie about a kid who sells drugs in the way that Juno is a movie about a girl who gets pregnant. There’s a lot going on. And when Shapiro got on that elevator, at the end, my heart broke a little too.

Oh, so, the thing about my primo parking spot? I heard the entire concert. This made me very happy. It was perfect, in fact, as I love the band too but could never have sat through it with Middle.

For weeks and weeks we’ve been asking Middle what he’d like to do for graduation. When Oldest graduated, we threw a party at the house. Family came from all over and we had a great barbecue. We celebrated his accomplishment and were very proud. We offered Middle the same kind of party – he wanted nothing to do with it. I suggested dinner in town with just our family, he said no. I told him he could bring some friends out for burgers. He didn’t want to. I explained that we wanted to celebrate his achievement somehow and he said he understood but did not feel a celebration was in order. (I’m hoping he changes his mind the next time he graduates.)

The warm wind turned colder. The sun set and made pretty colors and I texted Middle to ask how cold he was in his thin tee shirt and he texted back that he was freezing. Just as I got that text a woman walked past me and said, into her phone, “I just wanted to tell ya: I love ya and I’m thinking about ya.”
I texted back that Middle should look for a tour sweatshirt.
He replied that they were too expensive.
How expensive?
Very expensive.
I bit my lip and texted back as fast as I could that K and I wanted him to buy one.
I sat in the car thinking of him, watching his favorite band, cheering with that giant crowd – not wanting anyone to make any kind of fuss over him – hoping he was warm, hoping he let us treat him to that sweatshirt and by the time the concert was over he told me the sweatshirts had sold out. He returned to the car beaming. In a new hat.

Happy graduation Middle.
You’ve made us proud.