He's a funny boy, I was hoping to keep it a big surprise, but he gets a little anxious, so it was while we were driving to music on Thursday that I told him where we were going. He was quite pleased which was a good thing.
So what show was it? Well it was the Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour. Monster trucks and mud basically which I thought he would like, what little boy, or big one for that matter, wouldn't like trucks, big wheels and lots of mud? I had also got Pit passes which meant we could get up close and personal with the machines and drivers. The 9 year old is far too cool to look as if he's enjoying it, but deep down I know he did.
Mr. Cool trying hard not to smile
The two of us with one of two lady drivers in the show
Now this he really did enjoy!
It took me back to another time when the husband and I took him out for the day. When he was in Junior Kindergarden I was asked by Connie if I would look after him now and again. When he went to Senior Kindergarden, he would have every other Friday off, and he would come to me as both Mum and Dad were at work. We used to have a lot of fun together, we would go grocery shopping and then morning coffee in Tim Horton's and then back home for lunch and then back to his house to meet the school bus and his brother and sister.
People would feel sorry for me in the grocery store, and stop and give me things as he talked non stop, and I mean non stop.
I did this for a couple of years, and then it came to the time where he and I spent our last Friday together, as he was about to start school full time the coming September, he would have been 6 at this point. I was quite upset really, I always looked forward to our trips out and getting together. We decided that for our last Friday together, the husband, me and my charge, would go to the Air Museum in Hamilton which is almost next door to the airport there. We set off reasonable early, and had breakfast at Tim's and then continued our journey. My charge sang to us most of the way there, "Farmer in the dell, farmer in the dell, e,i, addyo, farmer in the dell.................." over and over..........
When we got there, one excited little boy is almost through the door to the exhibits before we've paid, and then he had fun, looking at all the artifacts and the different aircraft. What we didn't realize was that we had picked to do this trip the day before the Hamilton Air Show, so there was lots of activity
and we were able to watch the Lancaster Bomber fly plus other planes, but, as with all small children, there comes a point when you hear, "can we go now?".So we left reluctantly, but we had had a good day.
Now, we had to stop in at some friends on the way back home as the husband was picking up a jackhammer as we were about to dismantle our elderly swimming pool, and needed to break up the base so that rain, snow etc, could drain. We got to the house, and the husband and friend were busy chatting and then having a beer, and why don't we stay as the wife wouldn't be long and we could all go out for supper? We didn't have a set time to be home, so that was fine. The wife duly arrived home from work and we had a lovely chat and more beer was consumed by the men, it would appear that I was driving, so stuck to water.
I liked the paint job on this truck
While we were doing this, my charge was playing with the dog which was behind a chain link fence, not because he was dangerous, he's an Airedale called Howie, but he's quite boisterous, so he has the run of the garden in these area. They were chasing each other up and down and having a good old time, I think they were sorry when they had to finish their game, but we had to think about supper as we were still an hour or more away from home.
We ended up in the local "pub" which was nice, and the friend was showing my charge how to rest his foot on the brass rail and lean on the bar, he had a bit of trouble with that as he wasn't very tall. Eventually we got a table and he had chicken fingers and fries, and ice cream to finish. We then went back to the friends place, picked up our car and then I proceeded to drive home.
The husband was feeling mellow after several beers and well fed so settled into the front seat to sleep the journey home. My charge yawned several times and said, "I think I'll sleep all the way home, I'm really tired". A smile crept over the husbands face, and he settled down to rest.
Yawn...."Cynthia, do you know Farmer in the Dell? I've got a new one! Pilot in the dell, pilot in the dell..............."
And so it went on and on and..................on. From Woodstock to home. If he wasn't singing, then he was chatting, telling me all about the planes and how they flew ... then we'd start farmer in the dell again. By the time we got halfway home, the husband is asking if we're nearly there yet? Then the singing would start again, and the questions would come, "Cynthia......" He always prefaces anything he talks to me about with my name, at least I know he's talking to me.
The journey continued with lots more singing and chatting and the husband was, by this time, biting chunks out of the dashboard. "Are we nearly there yet?", he sobbed.
We eventually turned off the highway, and things were silent for a little.
"Cynthia... are we nearly home cos I need to go to the bathroom......." By this time the husband was almost apoplectic. Not far, says I, about four minutes, can you hang on?
"Cynthia......... it's not much further is it? every time you go over a hill, my tummy feels funny". The husband is now in a stupefied state.
"Cynthia........ you will undo the door so I can get out quickly won't you?" The husband is weeping gently in his seat muttering gibberish.
I turn in their lane way, screech to a halt, he's out the door and running as fast as his little legs can carry him.....................
He made it, and I took the husband home and helped him out of the car and took him to a dark room to recover................
On reflection, it's pretty much what I did after we got home yesterday as well.....
