You came and visited me in Chicago about a year ago. Without dad. And I was terrified. You see, the only other time youıve visited up here, you were scared shitless. I convinced you and dad to leave the car at the hotel one evening and come to my house on the el. And you just went on and on about how scary the whole experience was and how you didnıt feel safe until you found a policeman in the tunnel, and not just a regular policeman but one of those Chicago ones dressed all in black with the leather motorcycle jacket, and how you and dad followed him all the way down the underground hallway to your train. I thought this was how your week with me was going to be. I had to work the whole week you were here, and I was deathly afraid that you were going to sequester yourself in my apartment all week and not get to see or do anything.
But I gave you a street map and a transit map and I made sure that we took the el together on the first day from my house to the loop so that youıd know how to make the trip. And you know what? You became quite the urban adventurer. Each night when I would come home, you would tell me tales of riding the el by yourself to the museum, or to the Magnificent Mile to do some window shopping, or over to the Lincoln Park Zoo.
I took you into neighborhoods that even some of my friends wonıt go — Uptown, Logan Square. You walked down Lawrence Avenue, head held high, ignorning all the homeless people just like I told you to, talking excitedly about meeting my friend Steveıs new gay lover. You dug the scene. You had something positive to say about every single thing I took you to. Even the crappy open mic in Wicker Park. And by the end of the week when I put you back on the plane, you had had a much better time than I think either of us ever expected.
I guess itıs kind of silly to be proud of a parent. Being proud is something your parents are supposed to feel towards YOU. But man, I was so proud of you that week, mom. I was so proud of the fact that you were so courageous and empowered. Itıs a scary thing to do in Chicago ' even I had a really hard time doing it when I first moved here. But you made it seem effortless. Iım really proud of you.
