I don’t know if this means anything or not. Maybe it’s a burst of personal satisfaction that somehow, amongst all the bullshit that we all face on a daily basis; something is sinking in…
I’m not that big on Easter. All the primping and preening that people go through to put on their Sunday best somehow seems false to me and if anybody out there can explain to me what cute little bunny rabbits and mounds of candy have to do with death and rebirth, I’m all ears. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not knocking people of faith or anything like that. On the contrary, I have a great deal of respect for those who try to live their lives according to the Golden Rule and at times wish I’d show more of it myself as I go about my business. It’s the inconsistencies of some folks that really get my kettle boiling. That though, is another subject for another time.
My neighbors are nice folks and each and every year they have their relatives come to town and they do up Easter on a pretty large scale. Egg hunts and baskets of candy for the youngen’s and the obligatory walk to Church for the Sunday Services are part of their ritual. One of the visitors they have is a little girl about Anna’s age, cute as button and polite as can be. Trying to make her feel more at home, I sort of insisted that Anna go reacquaint herself with her and to run off and do whatever it is that ten and eleven year olds do when left to their own devices. Well, that lasted all of about an hour when the proverbial “I’m bored” came ringing at the door.
Sunday was a gorgeous day, the temperature was hovering in the mid 70’s, there was nary a breeze in the air and the good vibes could be felt throughout the neighborhood. I guess I could’ve taken the easy way out and plopped them down in front of the television and flipped on a DVD or something to try and keep them amused but it was just too nice outside to let the day slip off in to vacant stares and bags of chips. Remembering that I had a badminton set that was lurking somewhere down in the basement, I made my way downstairs and decided to dust it off and set it up in the backyard.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not the handiest person on the planet and tools and putting stuff together just aren’t in my genes. About the only things I feel comfortable using without either hurting myself or leaving behind a trail of expletives are a knife, a fork and pen and even that at times is questionable. So I enlisted the kids help and it wasn’t long before we were swatting around the shuttlecock and having ourselves a few laughs and it looked like the afternoon was going to be saved after all. After playing a few games, I found myself winded and decided to go inside and fix up a dish of ice cream for the girls for when they got done. Sure enough, about a half hour later they came calling and said they were going down the block to see if another one of the local girls was at home. The promise of the ice cream delayed them for a bit.
They were sitting on the front steps and all seemed right with the world. The girls were getting along fine finishing up their treats and I kind of hovered out of earshot trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. As they were getting ready to leave, I asked Anna if she had brought the rackets they used for badminton inside.
It was then when I got the surprise. The little girl that was visiting must have either been in a hurry or was just being plain lazy but I heard her mutter something like “Just tell him yes so we can go.”
My kid, God bless her, didn’t know I could hear them but she responded something along the lines of “I don’t tell lies to my father” and she got up and fetched the rackets, brought them inside and gave me one of those little girl pecks on the cheek and said “See ya Dad!” and bounced back outside off for destinations unknown.
Maybe it was the couple of beers that I had during the afternoon that made me take notice of this little thing or maybe I’m just an old softie. My eyes welled up and I had to brush back a tear or two that was starting to leak out of the corner of my eyes. I thought about that kid and her trip to the church that morning and of all the family she had to keep her company on her “holy day” and then I thought about mine.
See, I have no immediate family in town. Most of it is of the “extended” type that consists of friends from the local watering hole and other assorted acquaintances and they all have their own lives to lead and their own problems to deal with . Me and Anna, when she’s with me, are our own little island. There’s nobody to run errands for us or to help with the chores or to take over when the going gets a little rough. Over the years, we’ve learned to rely on ourselves and sometimes I feel as if I’ve cheated her because of the fact that most of the times, it’s just the two of us.
Now I know that the lie the little girl wanted to tell was a little one and in the grand scheme of things has little impact on the ways of the world. If there’s such a thing as an innocent lie, maybe that was one of them. After all, nobody was getting hurt and the toys could always be put back later couldn’t they? But then I thought about “character” and the traits that one learns when they are young and that they are likely to carry through to adulthood.
And then I thought despite not having a large family and the dressing up and Easter bunnies and the trips to church…
My little girl has character …
God would be pleased…