Yesterday the husband locked himself out of the house. Without, I may add, his wallet or travel card and whilst in possession of a bike and scooter. Of course those things aren’t really essential to the story, but they did make his life more difficult.
With over three hours before I was due home, it not being the most pleasant of days and the sky darkening rapidly, he decided to come up to town to pick my keys up from me. They called when they reached the office and I took the keys down to them and a pack of salt & vinegar squares for the boy. I figured by now he’d be hungry and they were only lying on my desk, still uneaten after Monday. He seemed both a bit curious and a bit overwhelmed by the whole place. And lets face it, it’s a pretty damn big building for a boy so small to stand in.
Only a few minutes later I got a call from the husband. The boy had wanted to wait for me, so they were hanging around the station whilst the boy ate his crisps. I needed to stop at the library on the way back, so I suggested we meet there and gave him the post code so they could find the place.
Not long after I got another phone call. The GPS was taking them around in circles so they’d given up. They’d just wait for me to leave the office and we could all walk down there together.
When I left, the husband was sitting on the wall facing the office doors. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but that’s no problem. He like to hide and make us think he’s lost. Usually when I get in, he’s hiding under the dining table. I wandered round and spotted the boy but he didn’t notice me. The husband told him to start moving, but still he didn’t see me. I was standing only steps away from him, pulling a funny face and pointing at him, yet still he didn’t see me. He laughed when he finally realised where I was.
There are fountains running down a set of steps in the Square. The boy had wanted to go swimming in them. I wanted to as well, back in the summer, but maybe that’s beside the point. They’d played massive chess together whilst they waited. They seemed happy.
We walked down to the library and the boy talked non-stop along the way. The ambulance, the ambulance motorbike and the police van were all fair game for his chatter. We talked about how silly daddy was getting lost. Whilst I grabbed some more books, the husband immersed himself in graphic novels whilst the boy settled down in the kids section and played with the toys. They were a bit below his age range, but still he was happy. I’d told him he could get a book to read on the way home, but he preferred to play on the iPhone.
We walked again, this time down towards Bank. When we got near the turning we decided to head for London Bridge instead; it wasn’t much further and there was more chance of us all getting on the same train. Half way there the boy started complaining that his legs were hurting (because they can’t just be tired). We were about to cross the road to get a bus the rest of the way when he spotted a Starbucks. “Frappuccino!” he shouted. “I want a frappuccino!” There was a compromise to be had here. We couldn’t get a bus if he was going to have a frappuccino I told him, we wouldn’t be allowed to take it on the bus. In the end, the frappuccino won out and we got it and tried to carry on walking. It wasn’t too easy, especially amongst all the commuters crossing London Bridge, when the boy kept stopping every few steps to announce “brain freeze!”
We talked about the life belts that adorned the bridge. I told him what they were for. He said it didn’t matter; if you fell in the river and someone threw one to you, a shark would still eat you anyway. I didn’t think there were any sharks in the Thames, but he knew otherwise.
We made it on to a train but there was nowhere to sit. The boy wasn’t impressed; I wouldn’t let him play on the iPhone until he sat down. He was good though; he held my hand and didn’t complain. Then at the next stop, when a seat became available, I sat down and pulled him on to my lap, handing him the iPhone. He went through the games, playing his favourites one by one as I read my booked and enjoyed the feeling of my boy sitting close to me, still and happy. It’s not often he’ll sit still. He thought it was funny when Lumpy gave a well aimed kick in his back, even though he didn’t feel it.
A little later on, the husband got a seat next to us. At his offering, the boy decided to sit on his lap instead. The husband dozed whilst the boy played and I read. We were still, together and happy.
Sometimes it’s just the simple things that count.
That is real family life for you! Sounds idyllic.
.-= mumof4 said Wordless Wednesday. =-.
too bad we don;t get to do that sort of thing really often!
.-= urbanvox said How Twilight should have ended =-.
That sounds like a lovely end to the working day.
.-= Hannah said Thank you… =-.
An engaging vignette on family life!
.-= Milo said Protected: Laurel & Hardy =-.
That gave me a warm glow inside.
Those are the moments I love. You told it so well and painted a portrait of London life to boot. The simple things in life are indeed the best!