“I said I’m proud of you, that don’t mean you ’re off the hook for sneaking to a party. No video games for a month, you little rascal. ”
“Oh man… no mi juegos !”
“You gotta’ pay to play son, so man-up! ” Alfonzo quipped and then gave the kid a shove before standing.
Sal pulled a face, “What does that mean? Letting me off the hook and pay to play…i t doesn’t make any sense!”
Alfonzo cocked a brow in his son’s direction. These were common idiomatic expressions and the fact the boy didn’t understand proved he was still an immature kid. Sal was eight… but he’d say a nd a half . At that age they really don’t know shit.
Alfonzo went down to the floor to start his push-ups. He attempted an explanation upon each exhalation, blowing out the words, “Whew-they’re common phrases people use –whew –you know figures of speech –whew –like break a leg doesn’t –whew –mean break a leg –whew –but good luck –whew.”
“Oh, so letting me off the hook…um…is figurative not literal?”
“Do you look up words in the dictionary –whew?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you know what figurative means –whew?” Alfonzo did scorpion push-ups. He liked when his body awaken ed and adrenalin rush ed to his head. He liked knowing every part of him was alive, because he tested it each day to make sure.
“Ummm…when you don’t really mean something , but something else. ”
“ That’s good Sal –whew. What does the ‘dog ate my homework, ’ really mean or i nfer ?”
The boy laughed, “I know that one…umm.” He crossed his legs like an Indian Chief and beamed, “I really didn’t do the homework and the dog ate it is an excuse .”
Alfonzo smirked, “Yep,” he went down to the floor, switched into a one arm push-up. Put the other arm behind his back, straightened his legs together, aligned his head and torso then in an exhibition of his strength, went rapidly up and down without contacting the floor. He inhaled on ascent, on descent exhaled and this is when he talked, “That’s right –whew –whew –whew. It’s figurative, and represents all bad excuses , -whew –whew –whew .”
He’d changed arms and was going up when S al suddenly climbed his back and Alfonzo laughed, “Are you trying to break my arm ?”
“I’ m helping you exercise. ”
“Yeah, how about I get on your back and help you, eh?”
“Nope. You’re heavy.” Then he changed the subject, “Do I have a cousin Sergio?”
Uh-o h the teenagers were talking. “Um-hum.”
“Did Aaron shoot somebody to save him…is that true?”
Alfonzo held the extra weight, elbows locked as sweat trick l ed from his forehead. Sal was solid for his age and Alfonzo promised to get the boy in the gym more often. The muscles in his arms burned and he went low then sprawled on the floor, “ I didn’t see Aaron with a gun or shoot anybody.” Alfonzo said truthfully, although he was aware of w hat the boy had done. “Guns should only be in the hands of adults trained and licensed, not kids. Got that?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Good.”
“Evangeline thinks I’m a baby because when the people broke into our house I hid.”
“Yeah,” he tried a tactful approach , “don’t get offended by it. Afterall she did let her cousin without a license drive her car and you all crashed because of a goat, hmmm, do you think that’s really smart?”
“No.”
“There you go. Now who listens to someone who doesn’t have common sense , eh?”
Sal laughed, “You know you’re right dad. She doesn’t have common sense!”
****
Nico returned the final miniature screw to the cell phone and lay it on side of its counterpart then reclined in the high back chair. The girls hadn’t breathed a word to their mother about last night and neith er did Aaron. He was giving the girls the ir phone s
“Oh man… no mi juegos !”
“You gotta’ pay to play son, so man-up! ” Alfonzo quipped and then gave the kid a shove before standing.
Sal pulled a face, “What does that mean? Letting me off the hook and pay to play…i t doesn’t make any sense!”
Alfonzo cocked a brow in his son’s direction. These were common idiomatic expressions and the fact the boy didn’t understand proved he was still an immature kid. Sal was eight… but he’d say a nd a half . At that age they really don’t know shit.
Alfonzo went down to the floor to start his push-ups. He attempted an explanation upon each exhalation, blowing out the words, “Whew-they’re common phrases people use –whew –you know figures of speech –whew –like break a leg doesn’t –whew –mean break a leg –whew –but good luck –whew.”
“Oh, so letting me off the hook…um…is figurative not literal?”
“Do you look up words in the dictionary –whew?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you know what figurative means –whew?” Alfonzo did scorpion push-ups. He liked when his body awaken ed and adrenalin rush ed to his head. He liked knowing every part of him was alive, because he tested it each day to make sure.
“Ummm…when you don’t really mean something , but something else. ”
“ That’s good Sal –whew. What does the ‘dog ate my homework, ’ really mean or i nfer ?”
The boy laughed, “I know that one…umm.” He crossed his legs like an Indian Chief and beamed, “I really didn’t do the homework and the dog ate it is an excuse .”
Alfonzo smirked, “Yep,” he went down to the floor, switched into a one arm push-up. Put the other arm behind his back, straightened his legs together, aligned his head and torso then in an exhibition of his strength, went rapidly up and down without contacting the floor. He inhaled on ascent, on descent exhaled and this is when he talked, “That’s right –whew –whew –whew. It’s figurative, and represents all bad excuses , -whew –whew –whew .”
He’d changed arms and was going up when S al suddenly climbed his back and Alfonzo laughed, “Are you trying to break my arm ?”
“I’ m helping you exercise. ”
“Yeah, how about I get on your back and help you, eh?”
“Nope. You’re heavy.” Then he changed the subject, “Do I have a cousin Sergio?”
Uh-o h the teenagers were talking. “Um-hum.”
“Did Aaron shoot somebody to save him…is that true?”
Alfonzo held the extra weight, elbows locked as sweat trick l ed from his forehead. Sal was solid for his age and Alfonzo promised to get the boy in the gym more often. The muscles in his arms burned and he went low then sprawled on the floor, “ I didn’t see Aaron with a gun or shoot anybody.” Alfonzo said truthfully, although he was aware of w hat the boy had done. “Guns should only be in the hands of adults trained and licensed, not kids. Got that?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Good.”
“Evangeline thinks I’m a baby because when the people broke into our house I hid.”
“Yeah,” he tried a tactful approach , “don’t get offended by it. Afterall she did let her cousin without a license drive her car and you all crashed because of a goat, hmmm, do you think that’s really smart?”
“No.”
“There you go. Now who listens to someone who doesn’t have common sense , eh?”
Sal laughed, “You know you’re right dad. She doesn’t have common sense!”
****
Nico returned the final miniature screw to the cell phone and lay it on side of its counterpart then reclined in the high back chair. The girls hadn’t breathed a word to their mother about last night and neith er did Aaron. He was giving the girls the ir phone s
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