Soda Shop Time Machine

I’m having lunch with my sixteen-year-old son on a sunny afternoon on Main Street in Davidson, North Carolina. The place we’ve chosen—the Soda Shop—occupies a holy spot in our family legend. It’s the site of the blind date in 1967 between my father, a sophomore at Davidson College, and my mother, who was attending Queens in nearby Charlotte. Without this little hole-in-the-wall purveyor of burgers and banana splits, I might not exist, which means my son wouldn’t either. We’re paying homage to our roots. We’re also touring colleges for him.

If you could dial time back to 1992, twenty-five years after my parents’ setup, you’d find me right here at the Soda Shop eating grilled cheese sandwiches with my mom and dad. They’d just moved me into my freshman dorm at