Member-only story
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
- Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, novelist
My eldest brother is 12 years my senior. I am 12 years older than his eldest child, a daughter. She is 12 years older than my son, who is 12 years older than her eldest son. Then it stops there.
This particular niece met her husband while attending an overseas college. In addition to being a man of the cloth, he plays a mean guitar and game of ping pong. Although currently without a parish in the traditional sense, he remains very active and is sought after as a speaker.
Recently, he was asked to deliver a sermon in the state of NY. They live in MD. Their planned flight got canceled, so they decided to drive.
They were in PA when it got dark and my niece got tired. “I think we should stop for the night,” she said. Whereupon they came upon a community with several motels. The first required a 2-night stay, which wouldn’t work for them. The second had no vacancy.
The third?
Much like the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the 3 bears, the third was just right. Upon exiting the car, however, they noticed a rear tire was entirely flat. “Oh, I’ve picked up a nail,” her husband thought. Little did he know.
They called AAA. Upon having the tire removed, they discovered the inside tread was completely worn. That was the reason for the flat. The rubber had worn completely…
