Four years

I'm driving in Concord. Elisa is in the back seat. She's chatty. The trip was needed and now it was worth it.

There is a lot to be grateful for in my first trip to North America since Covid. There was seeing Aidan's and Lydia's college and a bit of their life in Toronto. There was that damn good food court pita bread sandwich Aidan introduced me to. There was watching Dahmer with Lydia. There was Niagra falls. A Blue Jays game. There was the view from Yang's high-rise apartment.  

There was the time back in the Bay Area. Meeting my old bank friend Jay-Dee for lunch. Staying at Marianne's and Michael's. The incredible service for Jim with incredible sharing from my siblings. Especially Matt. There were quiet moments of reflection and small talk. There was the (actually) old gang getting together at Liv's for the 49ers game. There was the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco. There is the apparently free car rental. And no car break ins.

What I valued the most was the time with Elisa. The 35 hours it took to get to Toronto with the sleepover in Incheon airport. Sleeping with her hair covering her eyes. How good of a travelling companion she was. How grown up she is from our last trip to the states, when she was 11. How patient she was during all the adult talk. How playful she was being back with her siblings.

When I wasn't looking, Elisa became her own person. She was the youngest child but didn't get the youngest child attention. She got into her own things. Drawing on the walls. Slime. Dance. Mahjong. Basketball. Boys. She evolving. She gets near perfect scores in school without the stress. She gets along with seemingly everyone.

When she was chatting in the back of the car, I let her take the lead. Talking about her own childhood. About her siblings. About k-pop. I was going to bring up boys but thought against it.