Yasmin and I stayed with Yas’ friend, Mineas, and Mineas’ two boys Nick and Samuel. I was immediately greeted by Samuel who introduced me to all his Star Wars Legos and his Nerf guns. We bonded over our mutual love of Halo and Minecraft and soon I found myself huddled behind a makeshift barricade of kitchen chairs avoiding Samuel’s marksman Nerf skills. In just one round of trench wars, I had been headshotted through the chairs. Game over. Truly, there really isn’t very much that can rival a six-year-old’s enthusiasm.
Nick was in his last year of high school and much mellower than his younger counterpart. He has a passion for music and we chatted about classical music and playing the cello. It really surprised me when he said he enjoyed playing and listening to classical music since it’s rare even amongst my peers that people like classical music. He told me his cello had been stolen several years back when their home was broken into and he hasn’t had one since. So, if anyone has a spare cello laying around, there’s someone who would love to play it.
My time in Albuquerque (ABQ) was short and relaxing. Besides helping Yasmin paint and generally hanging out, we also made plans to celebrate Mineas’ birthday, which to me translated into, “Let’s cook dinner!” So, I offered to make dinner. It was glorious to be able to cook in a real kitchen after making dozens of meals on the tailgate of my truck. Nick helped me prepare the dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy the final product! Happy Birthday, Mineas!
