Old Man

The Prince Relaxes in the Garden

Old Man, look at my life. I’m a lot like you were.

—Niel Young

Today, I met Suna’s father and his wife. My first impressions of them were all positive. The Prince and Princess are very nice, and the Prince genuinely cares about his daughter, who has forsaken her royal titles. They are a very active couple in their eighties. Something was always happening in the household.

I had been a little worried about sleeping arrangements as Suna and I are not married and I knew that the Prince was an officer in his church. (It turns out that he was retiring from a global leadership position in the church around the time of our visit.) But my worries were for naught. On our arrival, he cheerfully helped us carry our bags into the guest room, where we were greeted by two twin beds on opposite walls.

Even the step walls were home to flowers in pots.

I believe the house was built in the 1930s or earlier, but it was well-maintained and improved. It was in much better shape than my house would have been had I already finished all of the renovations I planned but never got around to. There was a substantial addition, central air, nice bathrooms, and hardwood floors. Really lovely.

Speaking of air conditioning. You could really tell that we weren’t in Texas. The nights were cool enough that I would have turned off the air and opened the windows. The days were warm and pleasant. The only complaint I heard was that the air conditioning couldn’t get the house down to 70 in the daytime. I would never think of running the air that cold; I couldn’t afford a bill higher than my house payment.

The Princess is a retired photographer and active gardener. She kept the grounds lovely and always had fresh cut flowers for every room. She has a quick laugh and a wonderful sense of humor. Can you tell that I got along with and liked them both?