Sometimes, you can hear the pictures you take.
I look at this picture I took two years ago of my son Charlie and I can still hear the evening’s happy clamor — the clink of ice cubes against festive margarita glasses, the Saturday post-show chatter, the scrape of shared plates across the restaurant table.
“Anyone want to try my burrito?”
“Hey, are you going to eat the rest of that guacamole?”
“Can you pass the chips this way?”
We’d all come to Chicago for a Pure & Weary show and Charlie had flown in from New York to see his sister perform. Our whole family enjoyed the performance and then walked down the street to a nearby restaurant.
On this occasion, Charlie sat at the head of the table and my camera caught him relaxed and smiling as he enjoyed the boisterous conversations all around him.
For the past six years, Charlie has lived in New York and worked steadily in a deadline-oriented business that depends on ratings. He is currently lead producer for People Magazine’s daily show, People Now, which requires him to get up every morning at 4 a.m. and oversee a live show that airs at 8:30.
He loves the work, and doesn’t seem to mind his pre-dawn commute. But, he loves his family too and, if we ask him to come to an occasion, he finds a way to do it.
Case in point, I called him last week and told him our Easter gathering was picking up steam and it looked like most of the Biskupic family would be heading to Chicago for the weekend.
“No pressure,” I said. “But do you think you’d want to come?”
He found a flight he could work into his schedule. It gets in at midnight Friday night and leaves at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. It’s a hectic turnaround, but I guarantee we’ll make the most of the short time we’ll get to spend with him.
I love this picture because it captures Charlie’s sweetness, his sociability, and his very straight teeth (for which we paid Dr. Gabler a handsome sum).
He’s a grown man now, with a full life, a smart girlfriend and an exciting career.
But, we’re always glad when our boy comes home.
