When I was 23 years old, the movie Splash was released. I think I saw it seven times in theaters. Back then, that was the only way I could see it. That same year, The Neverending Story also came out, followed the next year by The Breakfast Club. For a long time, these were my favorite movies. 

Tonight, my son and I watched Splash, and we both enjoyed it. 

He couldn’t see it the way I did, because for me, it was like a time machine, taking me back to 1984. I drove my cousin’s old blue Ford Maverick, and I… what’s the word?… dated?… a girl who resembled Madison, the mermaid. 

I’m still him. Still the awkward, frightened and frustrating person I was. At least enough to remember and cringe for him. I want to slap him, and I want to hug him. 

Everything has changed, and nothing has changed. We just jump ahead through chapters I hadn’t read yet. I smile through the cringes and wonder how I got from there to here.