The Deep Deep Silence of the Blogosphere

I just wanted to talk for a moment about a kid I know. His name is Trevor, although I always forget his name whenever I talk to his mother, and so I resort to asking about "her son".

He's a senior in High School this year and is quite interested in all things software/computer. He even has a web page explaining some of the simpler Java concepts. One night when I was in another major city on business, Trevor's mother asked if I'd go out to dinner with him and share some of my experiences in the software business with her tech-obsessed son.

We ate in this little downtown bistro that featured the large open space with the track lighting and various boutique colors such as "avocado" and "chinchilla" on the walls, floor and tableware, all subtly matching/clashing with the abstract art on display.

Trevor explained to me his ambition: it was quite simple. He was going to get great grades, get into MIT, get his bachelor's degree in Computer Science, and then go to work for Google (or its future equivalent). The more I talked to him, the more I could see it. The more I could see his life flowing smoothly along on this perfect track to technical superstardom. I had no trouble believing it would happen.

As the meal went on I encouraged Trevor and related various experiences which I thought might be useful to him, but mostly I listened to him talk and admired his focus. I had this idea then, listening to him, that the hardest part of anyone's life is figuring out what you want. And that once you have that, the rest is really just a formality.

After dinner we went for dessert to this hip little candy shop with glass racks full of delectables and a full L-shaped ice cream bar complete with gleaming soda taps and hot young oriental chicks perched on the art-deco stools. I chose some chocolate-covered pretzels. My young charge and his mother both ordered ice cream. We sat down to check out a jazz trio that had wedged itself in the corner was busy thrumming and honking to the vague accompaniment of the traffic on the other side of the glass.

I pointed out the cute Asian girls to Trevor. He replied that he'd never had a girlfriend. He did not seem particularly proud of this; it seemed to perplex and upset him. It was then I realized that he was really only 17 and that life had lots of curves left to throw him. And I realized that it takes more than knowing what you want out of life; it takes luck, too. Luck with women (or men, of course), luck with health, luck with your friends and enemies. luck with the things in your own mind. Life has a funny way of testing us all.

I didn't say any of this to Trevor, of course, and it's just as well. He wouldn't have understood. His emotional vocabulary has no definition for disappointment, perplexity, mystification, crushing. And it's just as well. He'll learn all of that soon enough. For now, he can go on eating his chocolate and watching the jazz trio.