Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“Where would you like to go?” I asked. “I want you to take me to somewhere that's
symbolic for you.”
He asked to be taken to his old school where he felt most comfortable growing up.
“They believed in me there.”
We drove through the early morning streets of Pittsburgh to the school building, where
I told him my little secret.
“You know how I told you that I've been relying on the kindness of strangers to travel
around the world? Well that was only half the truth. . . . Do you want to hear the rest?”
“Okay,” he replied a little suspiciously.
“People who help me a tremendous amount and offer me kindness, well, I try and repay
them.”
Tony was still confused as I continued.
“I'll set up a home for you.”
And then his mouth dropped.
“I'll set you up in a certificate program so you can learn to cook.”
And tears filled his eyes.
“And I will be there whenever you need me.”
For a moment neither of us said anything. I could hear a mother and her young son chat-
ting away on their morning stroll, the rush of traffic in the distance, and finally Tony's voice
cracking as he said, “Thank you . . . this is monumental . . . to go to school again . . . thank
you.”
And then as it really hit him, he began to laugh, “You are something else, Leon—you
are crazy! You know, I'm 49 years old now, so I don't need a big house. I can survive like
this if I have to.”
I reached for his hand and looked deep into his eyes, “No Tony. You don't have to any-
more.” I wanted him to understand that his life was about to change. In a “whoa, did that
just happen?” kind of way.
He nodded at me knowingly. I could feel his pain, the regret that came from years of
accepting a life that was unacceptable. He had become comfortable with pain, reducing his
own expectations and dreams to fit the hard realities of his life. Tony had so much to give,
and he had never been given a chance. I wanted to see him fulfill his dream. And I wanted
him to finally have a permanent place that he could call home. For all the material things I
once thought were important, I saw in Tony what really was important: not clamoring for
success or seeking what we don't have, but loving the things and the people we do.
