Over the weekend, I had what can only be described as the summer plague. It's like the summer cold, but it comes with fever and the desire to bury oneself under the covers for days on end. Once the fever finally breaks, the lingering cough sends everyone around running for cover.
It's a pleasant way to spend summer break.
I was finally clear of the gunk late yesterday, just in time to make a lunch date with a friend who has adopted 4 children from China. I managed to convince her 10-year-old, who has only been home from China for a month, that I speak Chinese. Well, at least we think I did. She started spouting a whole conversation until I had to tell her I couldn't understand her. That is indeed one of the few useful phrases I know in Mandarin. I could ask her if her food was good, tell her that my daughter had the same name as her sister, that she and my daughter were almost the same age, that she had cold water in her glass, and that I could not understand the words that she was saying. All very useful vocabulary.
After lunch, I went over to another friend's house to pick up a book of math tests she is letting me borrow for this year. We were already on that side of town, so I just combined my errands. When we got there, the little girls disappeared to go play their games of princess and Barbies, but there wasn't much for K to do. So she sat with her head 6 inches from mine while I tried to have a grown-up conversation with my friend.
Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when there's a 9-year-old listening to every word that is said? It really puts a cramp in the conversation.
I told her to play with the dog. I told her to play checkers with the little boy. My friend's older son came home and half the kids went out to swim, so I sent K out to put her feet in the pool. She was soon splashed by the boys, so I told her she could just go ahead and swim in her clothes. It wasn't going to hurt her and we weren't going anywhere afterwards AND I immediately became the coolest mom in the whole world.
I love it when I can say "yes" when they fully expect the answer to be "no".
We ended up staying 2 hours. Eventually the little girls came downstairs and L stood looking out the back window. I cringed knowing what was coming next. "Why is K swimming?"
"Because there wasn't anything else for her to do," I answered.
"Does she have a swimsuit?" L demanded.
"No, she's just wearing her clothes."
L looked down at her favorite China Doll outfit she was wearing. I guess she figured it wasn't worth messing up her nice clothes, because she just responded with "Ok" and went to watch TV.
My friend and I fell out laughing at my youngest who is such a princess that she chose NOT to swim rather than get her pretty clothes wet.
And that's my funny story for the day.
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