Damsel in Distress

November 6, 2001

Post #1386 – 20011106

Well, to tell you the truth, it’s an old, gray-haired mom who’s in distress.

I just finished an hour-long conversation with my son, Amos, who is in college in New Hampshire. (I got to talk to him that long tonight because he dreads to sit down und write this paper on Aristotle and Plato.) He told me that he started a new society on campus, the “Daniel Pinkwater Society”, another “DPS”. That was the acronym he used for his “Dead Poets Society” he had formed with some of his friends when they were still in high school. Well, the new DPS has a membership of 13 % of the student body!!! If you don’t believe me, check out Thomas More College of Liberal Arts; just call and ask for “f” (that’s short for “ineffable f”) or Amos. You won’t have any trouble, every one of the seventy-nine students there knows him.

Well, this is why I’m in trouble: Several years ago, you sent Amos a personal e-mail in response to a post on your message board. Now, I erased AOL from the computer, and with it your e-mail. Amos had hoped to keep it forever. What can a mother do, but ask you to please send him another one.

Thank you for your contribution in Amos’ life, and mine, too. It was mostly pleasure, but I have to say, it got him into trouble a few times in his high school english class… or when he would “snark” out in the middle of the night and we would have to drive around looking for him … ask him about it.

Thanks!

Daniel replies:

It can't be done. To send another email would just point out the bleakness and tragedy of that which has been lost. These are the bittersweet experiences which mark the transition from childhood to the Thomas College of More Liberal Arts. But at least you got rid of AOL.