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Chapter Eighteen, The Mother Son College Odyssey

April 9, 2010 By Laura Davis 5 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

I set the alarm for 5:30 this morning. Went to bed after midnight. We were careful to quietly organize our things and bring our giant suitcases downstairs. But then I realized I didn’t have the car keys. I took everything out of my purse twice. Then a third time. I looked in the car. I went upstairs and searched the room–even though I really hadn’t unpacked anything. I tore up the bed. I searched the bathroom. Charlotte woke up and she started searching. She woke up her brother and he checked his pockets. Charlotte searched her purse.

Then Eli reached in his pocket and announced, “I have the keys!’ He’s unloaded the trunk of the car and never given them back to me.

On the way to the airport I started humming. This isn’t unusual. It’s a trait passed down from my father to me to Eli and Lizzy–randomly humming or even breaking into song without realizing it consciously. The odd thing is I was humming God Bless America. Before I knew it, I was juggling the organic date scone I bought at Whole Foods and belting out, “God Bless America, Land That I Love….” Pretty soon, Eli was humming it, too.

Then I asked Eli what he’d learned on the trip. “Well, I learned that you had groupies.”

“What else did you learn?”

“I learned that I want to go to Olin.”

“What else did you learn?”

“I learned that I don’t really like urban schools.”

“What else?”

“I don’t know.”

“I have some ideas. I think you learned you can do the work.”

“Yeah, I was a little worried about that. I’m not worried any more.”

“You learned that you don’t want to go to a school that doesn’t have an engineering department. And that no school is too small for you.”

“I think I knew that before.”

“And can a school be too big?”

“No, I don’t think so. Classes can be too big, but not a school.”

“How about whether or not a school has liberal arts requirements?”

“I’m not really sure about that.”

“And I learned that you really do know how to interact and be social with adults–when you want to. I really loved going on this trip with you, Eli.”

When we got to the airport, we turned into the area marked for Rental Car Return. There were huge signs for Hertz and Avis and Alamo, but no signs for Budget Rent a Car. We passed the others and ended up in a dead end. “I guess this is why they call it Budget Rent a Car,” I said.

We had to ask in three places before we got directions to go down to another light and make two right turns. Finally, we found it, checked out, lugged our stuff into the shuttle bus and made our way into the terminal. We discovered there that because I was an American Gold Advantage member, we didn’t have to pay for our overweight luggage. And despite the delays, we got here in plenty of time.

I got up to buy a chai and noticed a shoe shine stand. I’m wearing my Uggs that have leather on the bottom and they’re badly scuffed, so I climbed up into the stand for a shoeshine. A young African American man, very clean cut with a pressed shirt and tie came over to spiff up my shoes. “What do you do when you’re not shining shoes?” I asked.

“I’m a student at Northeastern,” he said.

“What do you study?”

“Computer science.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I really love it. I’m a single dad and I’m trying to get ahead.”

And then we proceeded to have a lovely conversation about colleges, and choice and Northeastern. And when he was done, my Uggs looked terrific and I gave him a twelve dollar tip. I think there are no coincidences in this world.

Now we’re parked in the lounge waiting for the last leg of our trip. Oh, and for any of you reading who are actually in the process of looking at colleges, I have one last suggestion, a great website I discovered last night: Unigo.com. It’s full of accounts from students about their schools. When I read about the schools we’d visited, the accounts were spot on accurate, very vivid and realistic. It’s a great resource–almost as good as walking on campus.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Laura's stories, memoir, parenting teenagers, writing practice

« Previous Post: Chapter Seventeen, The Mother Son College Odyssey
Next Post: Re-entry »

Comments

  1. Sarah Melici says

    April 9, 2010 at 7:38 am

    The End/The Beginning
    I hate to see your trip end. But it is also a beginning – the beginning of a new relationship with Eli. How fabulous!

    Reply
  2. Petrina says

    April 9, 2010 at 11:39 am

    whoa!
    chocked up a little with that convo you had with tehe shoe shine guy 8)

    Reply
  3. Diane Turner says

    April 9, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    Thanks for letting us tag along. It’s been a whirlwind trip, and I, for one, enjoyed every single minute of it. Whew!

    Reply
  4. Keith Rand says

    April 9, 2010 at 7:54 pm

    What a wonderful way to be with you and to meet Eli!
    I, for two, also enjoyed every single minute. Is this indeed the last installment? What will I do tomorrow? Anyway, Eli is a lucky kid to have you for a Mom and you seem to be a lucky Mom to have Eli. I hope your trip home is safe and smooth.

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth Munroz says

    April 10, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    No Coincidences
    Nothing like having the knowledge and experience right there to share with the young man. I’m sure he will benefit.

    Reply

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You can also read about Laura’s travels to:

Peru 2017

In which Laura and Karyn and 18 writers explore Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Serbia 2017

In which Laura leads a workshop at the Incest Trauma Center.

Greece 2016

In which Laura explores the wonders of Crete and Santorini with a wide-eyed group of Write, Travel, Transform adventurers.

Vietnam 2015/16

In which Laura, who grew up during the Vietnam War, goes to Southeast Asia and finds out what Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are really like today.

Commonweal 2015

A journey toward healing loss and grief in a magnificent Northern California setting.

Scotland 2015

In which Laura returns to Scotland with a new group for another jaunt through the wonders of the Scottish Highlands.

Scotland 2013

In which Laura attends the Edinburgh theatre festival and leads 14 writers to a magical retreat in the highlands of Northern Scotland.

Bali 2013

In which Laura visits Australia, and spends three weeks diving, exploring, and teaching in three regions of Bali.

Florida 2014

A journey into old age in America in which Laura brings her 86-year-old mother to Florida so she can see her last surviving sister one final time.

Mexico 2014

In which Laura attends the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and explores the artistic towns around Patzcuaro.

About Laura Davis

In the course of my career as a communicator, I have also worked as a columnist, talk show host, radio reporter, radio producer, blogger, editor, and speaker. Words have always been at the core of my work and my self-expression. Read More . . .

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Retreating with Laura: Julie Sheehan

Julie Sheehan

For many years I put off my dream of writing and traveling. I told myself the kids were too little, my husband could never survive without me, that I couldn't possibly be so selfish. I couldn't imagine realistically stepping out of all of my responsibilities and roles. Then I started attending Laura’s summer retreat at Commonweal in northern California and that became an annual gift to myself for the next three years.

When the opportunity to travel with Laura internationally came up, my Land of Later mentality said I could never pull it off. But when my friend got cancer at age 39, I decided to stop taking life and it's endless opportunities to grow, live, nurture and explore myself for granted.

My children were 6 and 9 when I began allowing myself the luxurious pleasure of taking 10 days to two weeks each year to travel abroad with Laura, to spend time with like minded, soul searching people who share a passion for living and writing, to have all my meals prepared for me, to have the space and freedom to stretch out of my cage and check in with who I am, what I want, and how best to get there.

Laura is a skilled and nurturing teacher who encourages her students to take risks, to grow as human beings, and to be vulnerable. She has provided me with a forum where I can gain all my CEUs and learn techniques on how to become a more engaging writer, all while completing yearly emotional rehab.

I return home from each of Laura’s trip a little wiser, a little more open, and a lot more compassionate. I greet my family, friends and daily life with sparkly, clean energy and a renewed patience, brought about by way of re-writing old stories that I needed to let go of. I come home ready to move forward in my life.

A retreat with Laura Davis is one of the best gifts I ever received and gave myself. It took many years to realize that I was worth the time and financial investment, but now there is no looking back.

Julie Sheehan, Livermore California

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