The Discreet Joy of Having a Grand-Daughter in Seattle

Photo by 3/5

Nobody likes getting a call at three in the morning. Too many bad options.

I heard my cell phone rattling on the nightstand, the night before Thanksgiving. My wife was next to me, but the question remained: What?

It’s one of those old clamshell phones. (I cannot figure out Mr. Jobs’ gizmos.)

I clawed it open.

The message was a photograph of a flower in the frost. 

It was from Grandchild 3/5. Given the size of this great land of ours, I don’t see 3/5 that often. A message is welcome. 

I pecked out a response: Where?

She has a much faster keyboard than I do.

Discovery Park, she replied.

You have a good eye, I typed.

Thanks, Pop.

By now I was actually awake. She had outlasted everybody in her household, residents and visitors, and besides, she is something of a night owl. I thought I would toss out a subtle reminder of the situation.

You know it’s 3 AM here.

This did not seem to faze her.

Yeah, she replied. It’s 12 o’clock here.

I liked her style. It reminded me of six years ago when I received a call around 4:30 in the morning from Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, CH KBE, the great runner who was head of the London Olympic Committee for 2012. Lord Coe had come into the office bright and early and asked his assistant to get me on the phone, which she did. He had a lot on his mind. He was abashed, but we conducted business, no problem, and when we finally met in Beijing in 2008, he apologized again. I thought it was very cool to be able to joke with a lord about an early wake-up call.

Grandchild 3/5 did not apologize. Time zones or not, she can text me any time.

Plus, she has a good eye.

Drawing by 3/5