Mental Meandering

T1 had to go to Dartmouth for labs today. We’re t-minus 2 weeks before college classes start, And the jury is still out as to whether or not he will be there.We finished a less than optimistic appointment and blood draw, and as we were heading back and passed a car dealer we’ve past dozens of times before, T1 spotted a Dodge Challenger prominently displayed at the front of the lot. He’s wanted to test drive one since he got his license, but no self-respecting car dealer would let a kid with a junior license and no willing cosigner breathe on the car, let alone turn the key in the ignition.Today, however, he’s 18 and seven days, and hearing the bad news that his inflammation is still in full gear had him spoiling for a fight with the summer that has been dull as dishwater for him.He's been severely anemic, and even regular iron infusions aren’t letting his body produce red blood cells. He’ll engage in activities one day and then needs to rest on the couch for the next two days and regain his energy. A birthday road trip with the Big Guy exhilarated him and left him we charging for the rest of last week.He has been resting all week prior to the appointment, saving his small burst of energy for today, and when he asked if we could try to talk them into a test drive, I acquiesced and turned into the car lot.We haven’t been letting him drive much this summer, and he hasn’t been fighting us on the subject. I knew he was asking for this one favor that he was going to happily exhaust himself with a 20 minute test drive.The salesman got his information. He asked if T1 had a cosigner, and I had to suppress a giggle. He seemed to be aware that we were there to drive and not but today, but it was quiet in the dealership, and he seemed happy to show a fellow car enthusiast the ins and outs of the metallic red cop magnet just outside the show room.he went through the motions of the paperwork and then lead T1 outside. I stayed behind to prevent any attempts to play on my sympathies. my phone battery had died, and I got my sketchbook out, letting my imagination and pen meander to a field in creek near our house, since nothing in the showroom begged to be preserved.About 20 minutes later, they pulled back into the parking lot. T1 got out of the car, beaming for the first time all summer. If I could have, I would have bought the car right then and there just to thank the salesman for being so generous with his time and giving a gift so desperately needed.It was a little joy in the summer that’s been quite bleak for my first born, And it seemed like such a silly place to find it. But one thing we learned over the last eight months is that no matter where those little bits of joy pop up, you have to grab them and be grateful when they do.