Train Stop

Lunch was mostly pleasant. We have a weekly ritual of going out for pizza. It is the one place nearby that has outdoor seating. Out of doors is always the better option when dining with the boys. Full Speed and I engaged in a lengthy discussion about who had the more refreshing beverage. We tested both of ours and his fruit punch won hands down beating Mommy’s water (of course!).

To lengthen our outing which is always the objective, we headed for a lovely drive in the convertible over the great bridge to the bookstore. Mad Dog wanted to get a book he had recently read about and then T.Puzzle and Full Speed could play at the infamous train table.

Things went wrong at the get-go. There was only one engine available to play with and it got ugly between the two boys fast. Neither boy was interested in the other crummy cargo cars. In fact T.Puzzle was so angry at the prospect of sharing an engine with Full Speed, he let out some high-voltage screams. He was so loud that Mad Dog heard him from the other side of the store. Mad Dog came back to restore order.  His attempt was futile.

I eventually convinced Full Speed to use a car from the diaper bag. Of course I had to frame it like this, “Oh, there is no way you are going to like this race car Full Speed. You aren’t going to want to use this at all.” Since it seemed mildly defiant to him, he agreed to play with it. I thought we were making progress.

Since Full Speed was harboring some resentment towards T.Puzzle for having ownership of the lone engine, he began to obnoxiously lap T.Puzzle around the table. Every time he would barrel upon him, he would yell and make sure to ‘tap’ his brother on his head with his race car. He would then leap over T.Puzzle in such a dramatic fashion that it drove little T.Puzzle nuts. He kept shouting, “No front of me, Full Speed! No front of me!” Then he would crumble to the floor in a pile of tears.

At one point, I was perusing the young adult section hoping to find something of interest for me and Full Speed. I am more than ready to start reading him fun, chapter novels but am unsure if his comprehension and attention level are up to that. I am ready to move on from Transformers books and other kiddie-type fare.

I had managed to move around a corner where I could clearly see the entrance to the kids’ section and could unmistakably hear both of them (as could the entire store and surrounding counties). Full Speed panicked a little when he lost sight of me.

“MOM, where are you?” he asked.

“I’m right here,” I replied.

“Oh, I thought you had left.” He was clearly relieved.

Granted, leaving seemed like a lovely option at that point but I stuck it out. They couldn’t be T.Puzzle and Full Speed without me.