 |
Wags: |
|
Wags: |
"Creative writing has always been second nature to Frederic Hunter: a column for his college newspaper in Illinois; essays while in the army in Alaska; corporate public relations materials for . . . the old Bell System; letters (seven pages long, single-spaced) from his US Information Service post in the Congolese jungle. And plays, there were always plays." Thus writes Fred's wife, Donanne. Fred says that after his time in the Congo, he developed a fascination with the African continent and its people, and he jumped at the chance to return as a journalist working for The Christian Science Monitor. "When I served as The Monitor’s Africa man . . . I wanted to show Africa as more than exotic and savage and dysfunctional, which was the impression most reportage offered. I found Africa beautiful." He is currently living in Santa Barbara, working as a screenwriter, and preparing for the publication of his book of short stories entitled Africa, Africa. The following is an excerpt from Fathers and Sons, |
As we pull away from the airport, moving toward the freeway and the parking lot in Van Nuys where we’ve left the car, the man across the aisle makes desultory conversation with his son. Overhearing his words, I smile. He is trying to connect with his kid. And the kid is replying in the barely audible monosyllables that make fathers feel like the most superfluous creatures on earth. . . Maybe the man’s son is . . . sixteen. The next time I look over we are on the freeway, and the kid is asleep, his head pillowed on his dad’s shoulder. The man is holding his son’s knee—not because it is necessary to do so, but because he loves his son. He wants this small bit of contact with the boy while he sleeps. In my mind I say to the man: "If you are wise, you will memorize the feel of your son’s head on your shoulder, the feel of his knee grasped by your hand. Your son is almost a man, and he won’t be sleeping with his head on your shoulder much longer." |
The essay Fathers and Sons appears in the book |