Youth

Cool Hand Luke is the title that stops me as I'm browsing the movie selection in my 11 hour flight. Cast: Paul Newman. Well of course. Who wouldn't enjoy watching him?  God bless his soul! A family man. Handsome and stylish. Tanned and strong looking muscles when young and straight back and strong boned face when old. Indeed a thrill for the eyes.

However, the reason I paused in my browse was not this statue of manhood from the past. It was because the title reminded of my mother.

When A was born my mom came to visit and stay with me for about a month. It was great to have her around and live with her after a long while especially when I had just become a mom for the first time.

One afternoon I remember we watched this movie together. A two hour of relative peace was granted by the baby A and we gratefully took advantage of it. We watched the whole movie in one sitting. And I must say I don't remember much of it. What I do remember however, is my mom's face when the movie was over. A slight smile on her lips, brighter eyes, one raised eyebrow, relaxed face. She looked younger, much younger in that moment.  The sight surprised me I recall. I remember I thought to myself mischievously if she had a crush on Paul Newman growing up. After all he was a grown man and a movie star when she was a young teenager. I tried to imagine her on a Friday afternoon in high school and in university after watching a Paul Newman movie with her sisters or friends. I wondered if she thought about him before she went to bed in those nights. I wondered if she chose her husband based on this look. I wondered how she might have experienced youth way before my time.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/