The Graduate, the penny and other stories

The Good: BigGeek graduated.
He is officially an MBA now. A hundred years ago, we would be scrambling to go to the sign-maker to get a new name plate for our front door. Now with an MBA added to it. Cap, gown, hood, diploma. The works. Looked handsome indeed. Traditional pictures holding diploma with proud parents and proud (and relieved) wife.

The Bad: It rained on his graduation parade.
Saturday was nice. Monday is nice. Cold, but at least sunny. Sunday- the day of his graduation, was gray and overcast and it rained. On the main parade with about 5000 students. My mother-in-law and father-in-law did not see BigGeek walk the lawn. It was so crowded. People with umbrellas and raincoats standing on chairs. We were prepared for the rain too. But not in a good way. We had no umbrellas and no raincoats so had to stay along the covered porches in the sidelines which were crowded beyond crowded. The smaller ceremony at his B-school where he actually got his diploma had an inclement weather policy in effect. The ceremony was moved indoors adding to the crowds.

The Ugly: Chip swallowed a penny.
Wait there’s more. Chip had a bad cold, asthma and a suspected pink eye. A slight temperature. So Chip and I went to the ceremony but came back to the hotel before it began and stayed there while BigGeek walked the lawn and later got his diploma. At least the mother-in-law and father-in-law were there. I am glad about that. Saturday evening, before the graduation, there was a party BigGeek and I were supposed to go to. My mother-in-law and father-in-law were babysitting Chip. They planned to take him out and let him run. Earlier in the day, I had given Chip a penny to play with. So while BigGeek and I were out meeting his professors and fellow students, Chip put the penny in his mouth. My mother-in-law suspected something was up and suspecting it was the penny, ssked Chip to open his mouth. Chip opened it alright, but swallowed the penny before he did.

Now no account of our adventures is complete with a Chippy anecdote. So here it is.

The anecdote:
BigGeek was giving his parents a tour of his school Saturday afternoon. Chip and I chugged along. Chip was talking loudly, peppering the conversation with wise and astute remarks about poop and lawnmowers. His mother was imploring him to use his inside voice when suddenly a cop appeared. She had a coffee in one hand and while exchanging brief pleasantries with BigGeek, hurried to get out the door behind us. Chip saw the cop and as she walked past us, fixed his gaze on her and said loudly “Excuse us.” She was so taken aback that for a second she did not know what to say. Then she laughed and told Chip, “You are just fine.”