Give me the Combo

I slept through Easter dinner – largely, I suspect as a defensive tactic to avoid the discomfort that comes when a lone traveler shares space with dozens of families who are celebrating a holiday.

Then I stayed in my room during supper to watch the end of “Dead Poet’s Society” and shed a few tears for young lives cut off much too soon.

The building was quiet when I slipped through the front door and headed over to Dairy Queen for a burger, fries and a malt – my Easter dinner.

As one of only a few establishments open on Easter evening, the drive-in seemed to be busy when I parked the Saturn and wandered in. But by the time I finished my meal things were quiet.

No fewer than three of the young attendants came by my table and engaged me in conversation. This intervention was more than welcome and reminded me of my wish to actively seek connections with the new generation during my travels.

The first of this trio noticed my book (“Travels with Charley”) and this led easily into a discussion of my trip. The young man seemed truly interested in my itinerary, explaining that he had ventured no farther than neighboring states, plus California.

He introduced me to the second employee and the pair attracted the attention of the third.

Perhaps they had all been granted a full evening’s work in return for agreeing to accept the holiday assignment or maybe they were all staying on duty in anticipation of a rush of traffic later in the evening.

Or maybe they were truly interested in talking to a stranger who was engaged in an enterprise that appealed to their sense of adventure.

Whatever the reason, we had an unhurried conversation, an easy intergenerational exchange in an environment suitable for both the traveler and teens.

Though we didn’t discuss politics or culture, I left with a sense that there is reason to hope that today’s teens may avoid drifting toward the kind of closed-mindedness and bigotry that seems to infect those two or three generations their senior.

The burger wasn’t very tasty, the fries were unremarkable and even the malt – which is a rare treat – didn’t really excite me.

But I’m glad I dropped by the old DQ tonight and told three nice kids about my trip.