Osamu woke up this morning, marched right past me as I was opening the upstairs windows, headed downstairs, and without even starting with a "Good morning mama" he asked, "Is today Christmas?"
I could hear from upstairs as he started crying after hearing the answer. I think some of our neighbors could also hear.
Kenzo was up early getting his letter ready to give to his friend. He packed it nicely in his school bag so he wouldn't lose it or forget to give to him. Luckily his friend Ibuki-kun rides the same bus to kindergarten, so apparently Kenzo was able to deliver it without any problems.
Between finding out that today wasn't Christmas and for some irrational reason thinking that he was going to be "late for work" ("work" being kindergarten) Osamu was inconsolable for most of the morning. Also he and Kenzo were doing their usual horse play while changing clothes, running around and shooting guns and tossing balls all over. Osamu slipped in the tatami room and fell on his face, leaving a mark above his upper lip with a perfect imprint of woven tatami.
So in order to get him out the door and to the bus stop Eri promised the boys that if they were really good and rode the bus to school and listened to their teachers she would take them to McDonald's for ice cream when they came home.
That was the ticket.
Luckily Eri had the day off from her web design class. She also made sure the boys knew this was extra special. They have a tendency to get their expectations raised by special treatment, as little boys do.
I had some tatami marks on my elbows, well, technically more like tatami burns on my elbows, after a spirited arm wrestling tournament at the community center several years back. We were at the PTA welcome party for new teachers at the time. And very drunk.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I kicked their asses.
Cap'n Surly