I met the most extraordinary kid at my sister's grad on Tuesday.
His name's Alex. I had heard about Alex, on and off, mostly because his last name is unusual enough to stick in one's mind (it's German), and he surfaces at a lot of the events my sister manages to corral people into at school. When I met him at the dinner, he seemed like the kind of guy that would manage to hold onto a girlfriend after one of them has gone on to university -- nice, funny, sweet, easygoing.
The thing with Alex is that he has no parents. He was apparently raised by his single mom, who passed away from cancer when he was twelve; after a short stint living with a teacher, he's managed to hold down his own fort while becoming a genuinely well-liked, well-adjusted and all-round great guy. He has no income, no family, and yet he's made as good -- if not better -- than the rest of his already above-average classmates.
What a selfish little brat I've been, letting myself wallow in bitterness. And how inadequately celebrated Alex is, for everything that he has done and will do.
His name's Alex. I had heard about Alex, on and off, mostly because his last name is unusual enough to stick in one's mind (it's German), and he surfaces at a lot of the events my sister manages to corral people into at school. When I met him at the dinner, he seemed like the kind of guy that would manage to hold onto a girlfriend after one of them has gone on to university -- nice, funny, sweet, easygoing.
The thing with Alex is that he has no parents. He was apparently raised by his single mom, who passed away from cancer when he was twelve; after a short stint living with a teacher, he's managed to hold down his own fort while becoming a genuinely well-liked, well-adjusted and all-round great guy. He has no income, no family, and yet he's made as good -- if not better -- than the rest of his already above-average classmates.
What a selfish little brat I've been, letting myself wallow in bitterness. And how inadequately celebrated Alex is, for everything that he has done and will do.
