calvin’s future

I just got off the phone with Alice, Calvin’s sister. Hectic!

I’ve just sent a message on Facebook to Melissa. It reads:

Hi pal… we might have a problem: your mom has high hopes – I know she’s putting herself out and she is doing things the way she knows how – flat out. The thing is, the original mail said “no pressure”  and W is building him a wooden house that’s going to take three weeks, and your mom is going to get him a dog and he will have a job with the dog and there’ll be a motorbike to ride around the farm on…

but he must cut his hair, and bring his side to the table and look grateful..

hmmm…

I don’t think he’ll stay there long.

You say you’ll come down with your mom next time? your mom says he’ll remain her brother, but there may not be a next time if he doesn’t pull his weight and do his part…
hmmm…?

I don’t think there’s going to be much of a choice… stay there and be under someone’s thumb, or be free. Sure there’s money there. And expectations. And money and pressure. And money and some things that would be good to play on, but then you can’t play forever…

real life starts when you lose your freedom, and you look at it, and remember that you didn’t have much down in Cape Town, but you were free to be whoever you want to be, even if it means being homeless..

You see, homeless to you or I is horrible.

Homeless to him is his current normal. No, it’s not his ideal, but when weighed up against pressure, homeless could win.

I hope not.