A colleague and I went to a conference in a different building. At the reception area, I overheard two gentlemen gossiping about a recent newspaper article. I instantly knew that they were talking about my son who was featured in our local newspaper. I proudly let them know that "he is mine". They as well as my colleague were happy to learn the fact.
The next day, the same colleague dropped by my office. Neither he nor I were good at small, personal talks. Anyway, he said he told the story to his wife and her office mates during lunch hour. To his surprise, they all said that they knew about my son, they knew about him not because of academic scores, but from his interaction with others and involvement in class. It turned out that they all have kids going to the same high school. My colleague was trying his best in search for praises, as he is man of few words. His praise was sincere and heart felt.
By the way, he is the senior class president, a class of 400.
