Before I left on a three-week trip this summer, I had drinks with my brother Kudzai at Nacho Borracho. We sat at the bar. I ordered a glass of white wine; he had a Diet Coke. When the drinks were served, we clinked glasses in honor of his big achievement: He had just quit his low-paying job and was about to begin classes at Seattle University’s law school. That day, Wednesday, June 12, he had purchased two very thick and expensive lawbooks. He was ready. I was amazed.
For much of his life, Kudzai had not really done that much. He strummed the guitar now and then. He started a couple of bands. He got married and then divorced. Sometimes he went to the gym. Sometimes he didn’t go to the gym. The hours he spent watching European football or playing the FIFA video game seemed infinite in my eyes. Kudzai was not, however, a sad person or anything like that. Indeed, he had a great sense of humor, and he seemed perfectly content to be going nowhere and not doing much.
Then, out of the blue, he decided, at the age of 36, to take the LSAT. He studied hard, he passed the test with colors that were almost flying, and he was admitted to the law program, to my complete surprise.
