Serendipity Strikes

53

Shawn

In May, Emmaline had a book event at the big library on 5th Avenue in New York. Jax and I accompanied her on the trip since spring was a great time to visit the city, and these days we tried to do as much as a family as possible. We sat through the amazing author talk she gave to a gigantic group of small children and their parents, but given the crowd, I knew the meet and greet and signing part of the program would take forever.

I approached my lovely wife as the line was being organized by the library staff.

"I'm going to head to Central Park with Jax, if that's okay with you. It's a gorgeous day and there's a playground that I know he'd love."

"Great idea! Pam and I are meeting with my publisher at the Royal 35 Steakhouse after we're done here, so do we want to meet back at the hotel later this afternoon?"

"Works for me. I'll get an early lunch with Jax before we go to the park."

I gave her a quick kiss on the lips and took my son by the hand and led him out of the crowded room. I only had to stop for a half dozen or so photos since small kids and their parents weren't really my core fan demographic.

When we got outside the library, I took several pics of Jax in front of one of the famous lions at the entrance before shooting a short video.

"Rawwwwrrrrr!" he said while he made his best fierce lion face.

I posted the clip to my story knowing that people would get a kick out of it; then I searched for restaurants in the vicinity.

We turned down 42nd Street and went into CAVA for lunch. I ordered the kids' pita platter for Jax with brown rice, grilled chicken, and a bunch of veggies on top. I got a grains and greens bowl with black lentils, lettuce, falafel, and pretty much every topping other than tomatoes. As I asked for harissa, I smiled because we were going through 2-3 jars of that stuff a week at home since Em put it on everything.

We sat down at one of the small booths after getting cups of lemonade. I had a hat on, but I knew I was pretty vulnerable to being spotted. It was early enough that the lunch rush hadn't started, so we escaped without being approached.

I didn't think Jax could handle walking the 17 blocks to Central Park plus 13 more to the entrance near the playground, so I hailed a cab rather than deal with Uber, and soon we were dropped at the 72nd Street gate.

We strolled north through the park hand in hand, stopping frequently to look at things that Jax found interesting, whether it was two squirrels chasing each other or kids playing soccer in the grass. We happened upon group of musicians playing drums made out of buckets and stayed and watched them perform for a while. Jax got really into it and danced to their cool drum versions of pop music, so I gave him some cash to put in their collection hat in appreciation for the joy they'd given him.

"Thanks little dude!" one of them called out without missing a beat on his instrument.

As we walked away I heard the familiar sound of Stitches, so I turned and tipped my hat to them for not making a big deal out of who I was, while still acknowledging my work.

Eventually we got to a big playground that was filled with children. The plaque at the front said it was built in 2022 using repurposed wood and recycled materials, which I knew my wife would be pleased about. I let go of Jax's hand and let him run off to the main structure which had different levels to climb on and multiple bridges connecting the apparatuses. I did my best to follow him as he played, though I hung back enough that he felt some independence.

It made me happy to see him chatting with other kids as he moved around the structure. A couple times I heard him share that he was going to be a big brother, which was no surprise since the more Em's belly grew, the more excited he got. In a week she'd be having a 3D sonogram and he was attending with us, so we'd all get to see what baby X's face looked like.