"D - Up"

Last night my 14 year old grandson Keoni had a high school freshman basketball game versus my alma mater, Inglewood High School, at Inglewood.

When I graduated in 1962, Inglewood was virtually 100% white. During the mid 1970's it became predominantly black, as it is today.

Keoni arrived in Inglewood with his team and his mother, our daughter in law Diane, drove his little 2 year old brother Ikaika and me to the game.

Little Ikaika entertained us with his commentaries of what he was seeing out the car windows and in asking about his dad, Anne's and my son Kyle, who was in New Mexico on business.

Ikaika was trying to understand why Kyle was not there, and when he would be home.

Being a Friday night in Los Angeles, the traffic was heavy, but the game was well worth the drive, in part because of Ikaika's commentaries, in part to enjoy Diane's company and in part, in anticipation of the game.

When Keoni went into the game, Ikaika called out to him in his tiny voice, just loud enough for us to hear, "D - Up" meaning play aggressive defense.

That he would say such a thing at barely 2 years of age made me laugh out loud, and as I looked at Ikaika, he looked back at me and had a big grin, just short of laughter.

Sitting in the stands, I met some delightful people.

To my left was Cynthia, a lady in her mid 60's there to cheer for two grandsons on the Inglewood team. As I always cheer for both teams, they too had my support.

Cynthia is a warm and friendly individual but even more so is her son Eric, age 36, the boys' father, also there to be supportive.

Eric owns an Inglewood barber shop, a business he started in 2000 when he was just 21. He's been cutting hair since he was 15.

As he warmly spoke of being a part of the lives of so many of his customers, it was clear how much he enjoys people, and a smile often graced his face.

He is a muscular young man, much as I was at his age, and he regularly goes to a gym, just as I did. There, he gets to know people and my guess is he is happily supportive of them in their workouts.

I was struck by Eric's positive energy and enthusiasm, which appears to be fundamental to who he is, and by the interest he takes in others.

As for the game, Keoni's team won by about 15 points. Keoni had his best game of the season, scoring 6 points, getting at least one assist and one steal.

Afterward, he joined us briefly in the stands and then left on the bus with his team. During their ride back, they would be stopping at a McDonald's, to which Keoni was looking forward.

We had a very pleasant ride home, as Diane shared stories of some of the family trips she and our son Kyle and grandson Keoni had taken. Their Cuban trip was my favorite.

After we reached my home, Diane said "goodnight Dick," and from the backseat area, Ikaika, who calls me "drandpa" also with a smile said in his little voice, "goodnight Dick."

With a laugh, this concluded a wonderful evening.

Dick