While I am away Tuesday evenings for a weekly restaurant gig, my Mom graciously takes up the slack in the transportation and childcare department, enjoying my family in my stead; Bless her. To my delight she gives me reviews on the happenings in my absence, which makes being away from them even richer.
Here -for my enjoyment- is today’s account of last night’s adventures:
“You be my lovey and I’ll be your lovey”
we are chinese if you please
Yesterday’s Adventures with Gavin and Miles:
Hid in Liz office, Katie extracted Gavin 10 minutes early. He greeted me sweetly and said “I haven’t finished my pop-up!” So I said go back and finish and I’ll wait, knowing that probably meant two boys, not one.
Boys had many logistical questions requiring me to explain every detail of the situation, but when given the choice Miles elected to go with Gavin and me for ice cream rather than Aquarium. Gavin said “ice cream might be a bad idea because we are freezing.” He has trouble keeping his coat on at the right moments so no doubt he’s colder than Miles in general.
So once both were coated up (Miles puts on and zips his own coat in an instant – “my mommy teached me”) and buckled in, pop-up projects put away in backpacks, we went to the destination I had in mind, the neat-looking shop called “Concord Street Cafe” that has “ice cream and sushi” painted on the building. However, the Chinese proprietor had no ice cream (“it’s very cold”) and a cash only policy, so that was dead on arrival. Two doors down (probably same proprietors) was House of Chang, so we invaded.
The place was empty midafternoon and an old Chinese lady talking on the phone would not look up or acknowledge us behind her “wait to be seated” sign until I started for a table. From then on she alternated between her phone chat and shushing the boys. The more she shushed the louder I let them wax.
However, a friendly young Chinese lady with very little English fell in love with Gavin at first sight and couldn’t do enough for us or keep her hands off Gavin. We had scallion pancakes, chicken fingers, ginger ice cream, and she showered us with fortune cookies to the delight of the boys, and insisted on zipping up Gavin’s jacket when we left. (I gave her a big tip.) She asked if they were “brovahs” (much like ClaraJane) and they proudly said they were cousins and described all their other cousins and siblings for good measure.
The boys asked why the people looked “different” and I explained how popular Chinese restaurants are with most people, and we discussed the terms “Asian” as against “Chinese,” “Japanese,” etc. They loved the elegantly folded napkins and recognizing them as a form of orgami wanted to know what the shape represented, although it was merely a pyramid, nothing exotic like a crane.
The bathroom was nice and well-used by the boys, with sensor-controlled water and soap. The door was very heavy and to prevent “getting locked in” I was required to be inside the bathroom but “don’t look.” Miles initiated his usual conversation about “what if we had to live in this room” or “how many people could get in if we had a birthday party here”, a theme whenever we find ourselves in a small space such as the vestibule of my house or a bathroom in a bookstore or restaurant.
Much discussion of upcoming birthdays, party themes, relative ages, and the like.
We reloaded in the Fit and returned to Tobin to meet Amanda at 4:25. We chatted while the boys wrestled in the way back. Toward the end they embraced and we heard one of them say “you be my lovey and I’ll be your lovey.” Gavin invited Amanda to visit “my new house.”
Gavin and I then drove to my house while having a discussion about generations and whether I would be alive when he is a grownup, and we agreed probably not but wouldn’t it be interesting when he has children of his own and his mom and dad will be the grandparents, and how when his kids have children he will be the grandpa. And how I would like to meet his children but probably wouldn’t still be alive, but he would remember me and the good times we had.
He said then the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me: “We will still love you even if you’re dead.” And I said I would still love them, too, even though I was dead.
On Forest he wore his new apron for making hot chocolate (his idea) and painting bioluminescent sea creatures. Gavin asked for more information about the “rich people” who lived in my house before it was made into condos and chatted about high ceilings, given he has the highest ceilings of anyone.
I asked to choose some of the books to read when it came time for the reading nook and we laughed over “Giraffe and a Half”, while CJ shuttled between being in bed with Dada and helping Gavin and I read, and Gavin ate the ice out of my martini. Then I tucked them all in bed and started down the hall and CJ chased me down for one more hug.
circuskitchen 