Homework

 

Homework

Noel Laflin

12-6-22

Sitting in a nearly empty airport terminal last night, waiting for a flight to arrive (I was early, but with a good book at hand, happy to while away the time), a kid, with a heavy backpack, and his father soon came in and took seats next to me. Other folks began to dribble in eventually, everyone checking the monitor for arrival times, finding chairs and plopping down.

 

The boy, maybe 17 or thereabouts, proceed to open his pack, dig out books, paper, pencil, and eraser. He started to work on some homework. There were complicated penciled graphs and such and soon his phone's calculator was in use, too.

 

He saw I was reading a book on my phone and asked if the story was a good one.

 

"Oh, yeah," I told him, it's John Irving's latest novel, The Last Chairlift. He switched  his phone from calculator to notes and typed that in. 

"It's a really long story," I warned him. 

"I like long stories," he replied. "Can you recommend some other good books?"

 

"It just so happens I can!" I told him and gave several off the top of my head.

 

He dutifully wrote down every title and author as I gave verbal evidence as to why I thought each one was worth reading.

 

"I like to read," he said, "so I am keeping a list of future prospects, once homework days are behind me."

 

Judging by the contents in his backpack, I figured that was some time away.

 

But, he seemed like a determined, serious lad, so I think those homework days are numbered.