The V's House
While Oxbear was down in South City that morning, the boys and I spent our hours together partially discussing world records, objective and unobjective. All questions were Puck’s.
“Who’s the fastest person in the world?”
“Who’s the smartest person in the world?”
“What’s the most awesomest art in the world?”
“Who’s the master of all the art?”
I took Puck on two walks around the neighborhood that day. This kid can work up a sweat just thinking about the heat, which is funny considering his birth town doesn’t exactly see snow on a yearly basis.
It had been many months in the making, but Puck had finally been invited to the V’s house for dinner. We all had. Throughout the school year he would occasionally ask me, in a forced casual tone – not wanting too appear too eager – “Mom? When are we going over to dinner at the V’s house?” I knew better. If the kid was more into numbers, he would have been counting down the days on a calendar. If he had a calendar.
5:30 – Des Peres.
Violet popped right out the front door with Mrs. V right behind her, who warned us in advance of Buddy the dog, who likes to very enthusiastically greet his guests. To my surprise, Yali grinned at the happy pup on our way through the house to the backyard.
He never really wanted to leave the backyard in the end, because: trampoline. I’m not sure if he’d ever experienced one of these beasts in South America, as Violet suggested he probably hadn’t, but once the big kids had cleared out with their scooters to the street, it was Yali’s turn.
As he started walking around on it, a huge smile burst across his face, and he took off in the weirdest bouncy Charlie Chaplin style run. It was hard to get him to stop. He would only pause for water from time to time when he felt so inclined.
Both boys went down to bed at the same time that night, Joe clutching a handmade felt pillow that Violet had made for him. Joe started up his usual fussing until Puck called to him from his own bed to remind him of his presence.
“Hey Yali-Yali!”
Fussing ended.