Near my house there’s\u00a0a footbridge over Corte Madera Creek, where I\u00a0say hello to the duck families.\u00a0 The ducks appear whenever they feel like it at different levels on the water, depending on the rain.\u00a0Some move right along without stopping.\u00a0 Some swim in slow circles under the bridge, obviously accustomed to passersby, \u00a0and some glide to a strand of rocks that’s exposed in the creek, where they\u00a0waddle around\u00a0for a while.\u00a0 Some days the ducks aren’t there at all and I wait in vain, wondering why they’re not\u00a0anywhere near as interested in us as we are in them.<\/p>\n
The bridge curves up slightly in the middle,\u00a0like the ones in\u00a0storybook illustrations.\u00a0 I stop at\u00a0the very center,\u00a0in the\u00a0best duck-watching spot.\u00a0 Coming toward me on the path is a young boy with a white-haired lady close behind.\u00a0 He’s small, with a mop of dark hair and a handsome face highlighted by Harry Potter glasses in a bright color, with a professorial\u00a0band around the back to hold them in place.<\/p>\n
He speaks up like a person very much at home in the world.\u00a0 He says hello and takes a spot next to me at the railing.\u00a0 I move over a bit so he can have the center.\u00a0 I mention I haven’t seen any ducks today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He says, “My name is Oscar. The ducks were here earlier.”\u00a0 He adds, in a wistful\u00a0voice,\u00a0“Maybe they’ll come back later.” He brightens and announces,\u00a0\u00a0“We’re having burritos for lunch.”<\/p>\n
The woman with the pretty white hair\u00a0approaches and the\u00a0three of us watch the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oscar says,\u00a0 “We’re eating at the burrito place because they’re so big.\u00a0 It’s hard to walk home with them.”<\/p>\n
The lady nods, “That’s right.”<\/p>\n
“Grandson?” I ask.<\/p>\n
“Yes,”\u00a0she smiles\u00a0and\u00a0Oscar says,<\/p>\n
“Granny, we better get going.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u00a0turns back to reassure me.\u00a0 “Maybe the ducks will be here when we come back.”<\/p>\n
For a second I’m puzzled at why such a\u00a0young boy with a pleasant smile is so serious today.\u00a0 It occurs to me that he’s repeating answers he’s heard in response to questions he must have asked\u00a0many times.\u00a0 Can we go see the ducks?\u00a0 Can we eat at a table outside today?\u00a0 Will the ducks be there when we come back?\u00a0 Can we have one of the big burritos?<\/p>\n
My\u00a0granddaughter, who’s three,\u00a0has\u00a0questions every time we ask her to go get her shoes.\u00a0 She’s learning that the world can be complicated.\u00a0 Just because you set out on a walk with your grandma\u00a0to see the ducks, that doesn’t mean the ducks will always be there.\u00a0 Just because you like to eat at a table outside, where the birds will pester you for part of your lunch, that doesn’t mean an outside table will always be open.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n