Likes People...

Killian has always preferred the company of people. It may be the din he was raised in. He's a fantastic contributor to the familial noise too. By extension, he zones in on people trying to disconnect from society. He's slightly obsessed with people who withdraw and targets them by including them in his life. I remember when we moved from Manhattan to the Bronx, we'd been living with a musician named Richard. Though Richard did on occasion babysit Killian, I would not say that they were particularly bonded. Richard kept to himself. When we moved, Killian was completely fixed on the idea of frequently visiting him. It felt like an odd request to me, but I tried to honor it. We tried to call Richard. We left notes. Richard did not return our calls or respond to our notes. At one point, I told Killian that I thought Richard had new people, and maybe someday he might respond to our calls and notes. Killian pleaded that we needed to keep trying to contact him, saying, "I want him to be family because I think he might not have anyone." Killian's latest target is Mike, the shuttle driver at McDonald House. 

Mike the shuttle driver is pretty much an asshole. He disconnects from people, sending a message through each casual encounter that he trusts no one. Mike talks on his cell phone (yes, while driving) about music. He talks with some authority and apparent knowledge of rap and hip hop. One day, a rapper came on the radio. Killian told me that the guy was great, but that he wasn't popular anymore. Killian couldn't remember his name and asked Mike who he was. Mike gave Killian the stink-eye through the rear view, and snapped, "I dunno!" He said it as if he were saying, "why would I know?" and as annoyed as if Killian had asked him where to get some watermelon and fried chicken. The next day, Killian said, "you  like music, right?" Again, defensively, Mike said, "why?" "Well, I like music. It seems like you do too. I listen to and play all kinds of music...the music just has to mean something to me." Mike told Killian that he was a producer. Killian kept working on Mike until he finally got a copy of one of Mike's CDs. The slow thaw of Killian's magic has started...