was.
“Doesn’t feel like work, not a bit,” Dad spoke so soft and gentle I did a double take to see if it was really him talking. He winked at me. “The Lord gave us such a beautiful day, Elsie and I thought we should get out and enjoy it together. Why don’t you go on inside? I’ll just take a minute to clean up here.”
Mrs. Friesen side stepped around Tommy, who was pacing back and forth on the porch. “I’m not overly fond of cats,” she sniffed. “I think I have an allergy.”
I was thinking that I wasn’t overly fond of her when I caught the look Dad gave me over his shoulder. “He doesn’t usually hang around this time of day, does he Elsie?”
Oops. I grabbed the empty saucer. Tommy meowed, as if to say, “About time.”
Beth showed the Friesens into the house. Of course, yours truly got stuck entertaining the toddlers. Mattie and Jonah followed me outside when I brought Tommy his milk. He lapped it up like he hadn’t eaten in a week, but as soon as the first grubby fist went for his tail he was gone.
So then Lena and I herded the boys up to our room and scrounged around in the closet for old toys. Only Mattie had other ideas. He went straight for my model of the lunar landing module.
“Whoaa there!” I scooped up the model, setting it out of reach on top of my dresser. “That’s not a toy.”
For a little kid Mattie sure knew how to give a dirty look. He opened his mouth, ready to holler.
“Hey, what’s this?” I grabbed a stuffed monkey off my bed and shoved it at him. “Look, there’s a whole jungle of animals here. You can play Tarzan.” I wrapped Lena’s baby blanket around his middle for a loincloth.
“Ow!” I heard Lena yelp, only I already had one monster to deal with, so I couldn’t check right away to see if everything was okay. Pretty soon though, Mattie was jumping from one bed to the other doing his best Tarzan imitation.
I was pleased with myself. At least until I turned around and there was Jonah yanking books out of the bookcase. One by one he threw them on the floor,making little exploding noises as they landed. Lena was backed almost into the corner, rubbing her arm.
I snatched Jonah’s wrist as he went for another book.
“Leggo!” he said. “I’m reading.”
“Good for you.” I smiled pleasantly. “Only it almost always works best to read one book at a time. You can pick which one.”
He picked
How the Elephant Got its Trunk
, which was my favorite ever since Mom read it to me all the time when I was still little. I loved how the words sounded, especially at the beginning when Mom would read in a hushed voice:
In the High and Far-off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk.
I loved that the Elephant’s child was full of “’satiable curtiosity” and got in trouble all the time.
The kid had good taste anyways. I sat him on the floor, pulled Lena down beside him and told her to read. Then I started putting back the rest of the books. All of a sudden I didn’t hear Tarzan anymore. Mattie had disappeared.
Lena paused.
“Read!” I told her, and went in search of the missing ape-man. I found him in Beth’s room. He’d shed his loincloth and was trying on a bra he’d pulled from her dresser drawer.
“I know what those are,” he announced, pointing at my chest.
“You do, do you?” Right away when I opened my mouth I knew I’d made a mistake.
“Boobs!” The little pervert grinned.
I choked. So much for Beth’s theory that I didn’t have anything a guy would notice. Too bad the guy was a five year old.
“That’s it. Come here once. Let’s get that thing off you. Bras are for girls, not boys.”
Soft and gentle, soft and gentle
, I reminded myself.
Mattie turned stubborn. “I’m playing dress up.”
“Nope,” I said cheerfully. Calmly. “N-O.
Nay.
No way. Not going to happen. Beth would skin us both alive.”
Mattie hugged himself to keep me from getting at the bra. Unless I got rough I wasn’t going to get it
“Doesn’t feel like work, not a bit,” Dad spoke so soft and gentle I did a double take to see if it was really him talking. He winked at me. “The Lord gave us such a beautiful day, Elsie and I thought we should get out and enjoy it together. Why don’t you go on inside? I’ll just take a minute to clean up here.”
Mrs. Friesen side stepped around Tommy, who was pacing back and forth on the porch. “I’m not overly fond of cats,” she sniffed. “I think I have an allergy.”
I was thinking that I wasn’t overly fond of her when I caught the look Dad gave me over his shoulder. “He doesn’t usually hang around this time of day, does he Elsie?”
Oops. I grabbed the empty saucer. Tommy meowed, as if to say, “About time.”
Beth showed the Friesens into the house. Of course, yours truly got stuck entertaining the toddlers. Mattie and Jonah followed me outside when I brought Tommy his milk. He lapped it up like he hadn’t eaten in a week, but as soon as the first grubby fist went for his tail he was gone.
So then Lena and I herded the boys up to our room and scrounged around in the closet for old toys. Only Mattie had other ideas. He went straight for my model of the lunar landing module.
“Whoaa there!” I scooped up the model, setting it out of reach on top of my dresser. “That’s not a toy.”
For a little kid Mattie sure knew how to give a dirty look. He opened his mouth, ready to holler.
“Hey, what’s this?” I grabbed a stuffed monkey off my bed and shoved it at him. “Look, there’s a whole jungle of animals here. You can play Tarzan.” I wrapped Lena’s baby blanket around his middle for a loincloth.
“Ow!” I heard Lena yelp, only I already had one monster to deal with, so I couldn’t check right away to see if everything was okay. Pretty soon though, Mattie was jumping from one bed to the other doing his best Tarzan imitation.
I was pleased with myself. At least until I turned around and there was Jonah yanking books out of the bookcase. One by one he threw them on the floor,making little exploding noises as they landed. Lena was backed almost into the corner, rubbing her arm.
I snatched Jonah’s wrist as he went for another book.
“Leggo!” he said. “I’m reading.”
“Good for you.” I smiled pleasantly. “Only it almost always works best to read one book at a time. You can pick which one.”
He picked
How the Elephant Got its Trunk
, which was my favorite ever since Mom read it to me all the time when I was still little. I loved how the words sounded, especially at the beginning when Mom would read in a hushed voice:
In the High and Far-off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk.
I loved that the Elephant’s child was full of “’satiable curtiosity” and got in trouble all the time.
The kid had good taste anyways. I sat him on the floor, pulled Lena down beside him and told her to read. Then I started putting back the rest of the books. All of a sudden I didn’t hear Tarzan anymore. Mattie had disappeared.
Lena paused.
“Read!” I told her, and went in search of the missing ape-man. I found him in Beth’s room. He’d shed his loincloth and was trying on a bra he’d pulled from her dresser drawer.
“I know what those are,” he announced, pointing at my chest.
“You do, do you?” Right away when I opened my mouth I knew I’d made a mistake.
“Boobs!” The little pervert grinned.
I choked. So much for Beth’s theory that I didn’t have anything a guy would notice. Too bad the guy was a five year old.
“That’s it. Come here once. Let’s get that thing off you. Bras are for girls, not boys.”
Soft and gentle, soft and gentle
, I reminded myself.
Mattie turned stubborn. “I’m playing dress up.”
“Nope,” I said cheerfully. Calmly. “N-O.
Nay.
No way. Not going to happen. Beth would skin us both alive.”
Mattie hugged himself to keep me from getting at the bra. Unless I got rough I wasn’t going to get it
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