I must complete the story of the US Open tennis tournament. When I arrived in St Louis, I learned that the rain resulted in a postponement of the men's final until today.
Having had a good day of meetings in St Louis, I dashed for my flight to Chicago with my colleague with my colleague, and I we made it with just 20 minutes until take-off.
Upon arrival at Chicago's O'Hare airport, I took a taxi downtown. I talked with the driver who was from Nepal. He was a teacher in his home country, and now an immigrant must do this work to make a living and keep his wife and two children. He works a 12-hour day. His wife was a professional dance teacher in Nepal but can't find work in the US. But he's happy because his children get a good schooling, but concerned that they will lose touch with their roots. He told me that the prefer to speak to him in English and not Nepalese, which makes him sad. Such is the life of a typical economic migrant in the US.
While sitting at one of my favourite bars in downtown Chicago I was able to watch the closing minutes of the Open. It was so moving to see Rafael Nadal collapse to the floor and weep upon winning. He's a tennis professional who earns millions of dollars, and yet the joy of victory is clearly more important than all the money in the world.
So I am now in the state of Illinois, having spent 24 hours in Missouri. I will now stay in Chicago, known as the Windy City, for three nights. It's a warm, balmy evening and lovely to enjoy a few more days of summer here in the Mid West. I am now sitting outside on a busy street enjoying a lovely glass of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon before going to bed.
In the words of Scarlet O'Hara, a central character in 'Gone with Wind', one of the most acclaimed films of all times: "tomorrow is another day".
Grandpa Jonathan
Chicago, Illinois
