Spring Break Style
For his spring break this year, Puck had just one request.
“Mom? Can we stay home and not go anywhere at all?”
Takes after his grandpa. I obliged. At least as much as possible. And Tuesday, he got just that. He expanded his library in the living room throughout the morning hours. All I threw in was some multiplication flashcard drills here and there to make things interesting.
After Yali’s nap I sent them both packing outdoors, offering some advice. “Go poke muddy things in the street or something.”
“We’re gonna go build something, Mom.”
Two minutes later I saw a ladder walk by the window, Yali padding behind his big brother in their matching red wellies. I stopped Puck right after he propped the ladder against the porch roof and right before he climbed it.
Between tours of the outdoors, Puck munched away on slabs of uncooked pasta left over from last night. Just like his Aunt Rose. What’s so appealing about lasagna noodles right out of the box is beyond me.
Mid-afternoon it was warming up. Windows open. I saw streams of sweat beginning to curve down the boys’ faces as they wandered around the yard. After awhile, Puck wasn’t sure he could take it anymore.
“I’m steaming of heat exhaustion, Mom! Can’t we go INSIDE?!”
“No, son.”
“M-oooo-m!”
Sure enough, Yali mocking-birded him, “Mawwwww!”
“It’s so hot, my sweat is SWEATING!”
I checked the local temperature on my phone. 77 degrees.
As the afternoon waned and I began making rice and guacamole in a warm kitchen, Rose informed the sibling group text that she had purchased Oregon Trail. Our coveted computer game from the 90s. Good times. I somehow always died of diphtheria, or typhoid, or something terrible like that.
That evening Puck stashed himself in his growing living room library with my laptop and a bag of Honey Nut Cheerios. The evidence of his snacking later exhibited itself through my sticky keyboard. After awhile, I pulled him off to read with Oxbear.
“Oh,” he groaned. “I feel drunk in Honey Nut Cheerio form.”
When Oxbear joined Puck in his library, he asked him what he wanted to read.
“I don’t know,” Puck said thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I just wanted to say – Shh! It’s a library!”