I'm Going to Win it, Mom

Between Gloria catching a flight to Florida to visit Relevance, Kitts, and the kids, then Spanish class for Yali and me, and Oxbear, Puck, and Theodore buying a fridge for the new house, the morning was quickly over, and time for the annual school biathlon.

We drove east in Theodore’s big black truck, with Irish’s white bike and helmet in the back for Puck’s use. In the middle of moving, almost everything has to be borrowed, apparently.

As soon as we arrived, Puck took off like a streak. Pinned #430 on his back, and got ready to bike hardcore around the building. By the time he got in line with his pack, Theodore, Mom, Carrie-Bri, and Francis had also joined the crowds of spectators.

“I’m going to win it, Mom,” Puck had told me.

I reminded him that it wasn’t really a competition. And that he wouldn’t even be able to start at the exact same time as everyone else. But he was going for the win anyway.

About an hour later, after the cycling and running had ended – and Heidi had apparently experienced a light crash in the process – the kids piled around the Italian ice truck for refreshment.

Puck proudly displayed the medal around his neck on a blue and green ribbon, his school’s colors. He might not have crossed the finish line first, but he still seemed pretty satisfied with his efforts.

Later I saw him snacking in the shade with Mickey and Big J, heckling the “long course” kids, who heckled back, just for the fun of it. A few paper cups were tossed back and forth.

The evening was wrapping up for Puck. Around eight o’clock Oxbear took him back upstairs to start reading “Journey to the Center of the Earth” before bed. Some time later, Oxbear returned.

“So did he like it?” I asked.

Oxbear laughed. “I asked him that and he said, ‘Oh, I wasn’t listening, Dad. It was a little nerdy, but it’s putting me to sleep. I did enjoy it.’”

Countdown till moving: 7 days.