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they called his name and he climbed to the highest plateau of the stand. the medal placed around his neck hung from a red, white, and blue stripped ribbon. he raised his arms so high his belly button was visible.
other medal recipients smiled and shared glances with friends and family in the crowd, not this one. he stood stone faced, seemingly staring beyond the crowd. applause rose from the crowd and then faded.
he stood like a statue. arms raised. stone faced. eyes not moving. an awkward silence ensued.
he continued to stand. the medal giver told him he could climb down now.
he continued to stand unaffected by his surroundings. more time passed. it became obvious physical intervention would be necessary. the medal giver put a hand just below each arm pit. he didn't protest, just maintained his pose with arms raised. she lifted him off the podium.
when his feet touched ground, he broke from his pose and sprinted to me. he clutched my leg and pressed his head into my thigh. later i finally convinced him to remove the medal when we put on the bat man pajamas.
Posted by griff at March 08, 2002 03:09 AM