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Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Plank

Little Boy is a hoarder. The Husband recounted that Little Boy hugged and kissed the two shelving planks he had been tasked to throw away, before he reverently placed them next to the dumpster, like they were the ashes of his mother. The Husband took pity on him and allowed the rescue of both planks. It turns out that the planks make lovely coasters for baking trays and pots of boiling soup. They now sit in the middle of our long dining table. They look great too.

When I threw away my market trolley, Little Boy's eyes turned red and a sniffle or two escaped. With a quavering voice, he made me promise that I would give him the right to protest (without reprisal) any future throwaways. And if he protested, I was to justify my decision and either convince him why it should be thrown, or allow him to convince me why it should be kept. He presented such a woebegone face that I agreed.

I threw away a wooden table today. One leg had quite broken off you see. Little boy protested vigorously, with the result that the plank that formed the table top now stands propped against a wall. Little Boy presented the various options for recycling. One of them involved a river and a raft. It wasn't long before he had convinced his sister to carry his plank to the swimming pool for him to experience some Huckleberry Finn. He rafted up and down the pool and decided that it was so fun, it needed to be properly experienced in a swim suit. Whilst he was changing, The Daughter guarded the plank, whistling nonchalantly and smiling politely at the security guard who came by to marvel at a table with no legs by the side of the pool. Meanwhile, Little Boy hid behind a pillar in his incriminating swim suit.

The Daughter suggested rafting the plank out to sea, and Little Boy was thrilled. I was not pleased but as we bantered back and forth, I found myself agreeing to driving him to the beach and launch the raft IF Little Boy manages to get 90 and above for Chinese in the next exam. If little Boy fails, I keep the plank and will make it my canvas for a painting of 6 daisies. If he succeeds, I will help him raft at sea. This is really against my better judgment but it appears I am no match for a determined Little Boy.

4 comments:

Blur Ting said...

LOL, Little Boy is so endearing, you just cannot resist his charm. But what creative ideas! We need young men like him to promote recycling!

Malar said...

Very interesting character of little boy! He have sentimental value for everything at home?

Petunia Lee said...

Ting - Little Boy is not endearing (at least not in this)... he is persistent. And he does it on purpose. His sis complained about why he always ends up getting his way whilst she doesn't, and he responded "You are not persistent enough."

Petunia Lee said...

Malar - Heh! It isn't sentimental value but practical value that excites him. He loves putting things together and sees potential in every piece of junk to make a monster machine that'll revolutionise the world. One of his other ideas for The Plank was to build Milo a Palace Kennel.