East of Eden

Cal called me on Wednesday to let me know that he had finished reading East of Eden.  I had recommended the book to him this summer and he had started it, but he didn't really enjoy the Steinbeck novel at first.  Therefore he put it aside to read the Walt Disney biography instead.  Once Cal finished it, he picked up East of Eden again and couldn't put it down.  It was based on the story of Cain and Abel.  I had told him before he began reading it that we had actually named him after the main  character.  He wasn't too sure about that at the beginning as the Caleb in the story was not his favorite.  Cal Trask represented Cain in the biblical story and Cal wasn't too happy about being named after the "bad" guy.  As the story unfolded, however, he began to see that the story was more complex than good vs. evil and in the end he absolutely loved it.  I told him that if he liked the book then he would also love the movie.  James Dean's portrayal of Cal was fantastic and I knew that he would be able to identify with not only the character, but with the actor himself.

I heard from Cal this morning as well.  I was a little surprised when he called again as I don't usually hear from him twice in a week.  I thought that maybe he needed something, but instead he just wanted to let me know that he had broken up with Hannah-Marie.  He said that reading East of Eden had really made him think about the next two years and he just didn't think that it made sense to stay together through that period.  I was surprised by his message, but knew that it was my job to support him and his decision.  I was sure that he didn't come to it lightly.  We really like Hannah-Marie a lot, but both Doug and I would not be comfortable pushing our children to stay in a relationship if they felt that it was time to move on.  Instead we would strongly prefer that the Heinisch children chose mates based on their own feelings and experiences.  It worked well for us and we know that it will be the best for them as well.