Hugo found a rose.

 



Anybody who knows me has heard me proclaim, "There is only one thing I hate about kids and every kid does it.  This does not apply to Hugo who for sure did it too but he is still Hugo. (They become adults)



Hugo and Rose.

I met Hugo when he was putting the last inch on his 6 foot 4 frame.  Hugo always did stuff as if it was enjoyable to do. What was he doing?  Didn't matter..  And if you wanted something done, just ask Hugo, he wouldn't say no.  If he was already on a schedule that left him only a few minutes to eat and doing your thing meant he had to miss a meal, he missed the meal. And for sure, whatever he was doing, got done. Teachers were amazed at his ability to find the time to do stuff.  It was like a challenge to some of them. "Well he cant have time to do this so I will ask him and he will have to say he doesn't have the time."  But he always said yes, and then did it. 
He would come to the tennis courts immediately after school for an hour of tennis instruction. When I learned about  his schedule I made sure I was always timely.  So he became a good tennis player.  But his tennis problem was demonstrated in a tournament at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center.  In the third round he was playing a pretty good palyer, the 2nd seed, they were in a tie breaker in the 3rd set and Hugo was so sleepy he was yawning all over the place and almost fell asleep. 



If you know Hugo and can go . . .rsvp

One Saturday he called me, on his cel, and I went to where he was, a few blocks from my home, on Alton Road with his van nestled against a Melaleuca tree. "Hugo, What happened?"  "Mr. Howard, I really don't know.  I was driving up this street and suddenly I am against this tree."  "Ok Hugo, take it easy.  I know just what  happened.  This a famous tree, he likes to snuggle against cars and he loves vans. And if he sees anyone from Columbia driving this way, he jumps into the street, right in front of you,  and if you hit him he jumps back to where he was, pulling you and your van with him so he can snuggle."  Hugo should patent the way he would look at you and kind of laugh or giggle when he heard nonsense like that.

The story about what happened to Hugo after he graduated from Beach High is elsewhere on this blog.  If it had happened while school was in session the whole school would have turned out in outrage.  What did happen demonstrates how ugly public officials can be and what ugly things they do for political reasons.   But Hugo took it in stride.   





Back in Columbia with the help of a

Hugo likes Ecclesiastes stuff.

tennis scholarship, he graduated from college, and he is now in, of all places, New Zealand.  The first country to give women the right to vote.  A country where, to get elected, politicians have to show voters they care about their word.  They care about people.  And they care about their country.  And, get this, they vote for the things they tell the voters they're for.    You know, just like in our country, the good old US of A, where  politicians had to do similar stuff to get elected, once upon a time .  .  .

Well anyway Hugo is in New Zealand, and . . . Hugo found a rose.