Cotillion Date

It was an almost-balmy afternoon running around the playground after carpool, all the kids together again. Yali tore from one corner of his large outdoor cell to the other, roaring like the dino on his t-shirt. Meanwhile, the 4th grade girls clustered around the monkey bars, discussing the future.

“Can Yali come to cotillion with me in 6th grade?” Annie pleaded. “Can he be my date?”

Heidi wasn’t about to be usurped on that count. “He’s coming with me,” she said.

“But we’ve been dating for awhile,” Annie insisted.

“If Yali isn’t available,” Heidi replied, “then I would invite my dog.”

“Well…” I said, “Yali does have a suit now…”

Squeals of delight from all the girls, while Yali ran around them in circles, roaring.