I did get the old man’s caring, too. Wouldn’t have reviewed the story so highly if I hadn’t.

However, I must confess, your story was the last on a long list at deadline. My euphoria had to be brief or my fingers would have gone on strike.

FYI - I meant for the story to have the kind of quality you mention (detached, taoist, etc.), but I like to think of it as just one aspect of the old man–the way he thought, not necessarily the essence of his thoughts. He really does care for his young protégé, and deeply. (In my mind, anyway, and I hope some of that came through in the story. I tend to think that conflicting interpretations of fiction can be correct independent of each other though, so don’t worry about it if you disagree. Either way, you’re probably right =)