Genuine

The railway let fathers ride free this past weekend (mothers ride free on Mother's Day weekend), and many of the guys were quite surprised to find they were being treated to something. I told them it was the only free ride they would get after becoming fathers.

Anyway, one fellow from Chicago was there with his family and three-year-old son. Children three and under ride free all the time anyway. Mason (the little boy) loved the ride so much that it was all he talked about after they left, so Dad brought him back an hour or so later, and the two of them rode again. He offered to pay the second time, but we turned him down. Dads and three-year-olds rode free. After that trip, Mason wanted to go yet again -- as it turns out for the last trip of the day, so Dad could look forward to moving on. When we tried to let him go free the third time, he insisted.

"Everyone else around here has been trying to get my money for a bunch of junk. At least this is genuine," he said. I had suggested he simply leave a donation in the box, but he was strapped for cash and wanted to use a credit card. So we let him buy an adult ticket.

Mason, I understand from Tom, had been promoted to assistant conductor by that time.