It’s the middle of the year and my nephew has switched from the afternoon session to morning session at his school, which means its time for me to send him to school again. Believe it or not, it’s a task which i actually look forward to. No doubt it means i’ll get to work an hour earlier but it sure puts the agony of waking up in the morning and getting to work out the window, more or less. Why? Well, coz now i have company, albeit sometimes in the form of a grumpy kid in dire need of a healthy dose of ‘happy pills’.

My nephew Dan is 9 years old but acts about 20 years older sometimes. He’s a pretty smart kid with an equally smart mouth. I sometimes forget that he’s only nine! Having lived with him for most of his life, i reckon i know him pretty well, and that fact alone annoys him.

His pet hates include talking on the phone, anything oily or greasy and anyone who talks with their mouth full (usually little bro Emil). He can be quite a patient fellow, teaching Baby Zaen the ‘proper’ way to kiss (on the mouth, nothing less) and hug (by saying ‘kiss’ as you hug someone for reasons i can’t quite fathom). He loves to be cuddled though he’d rather die than to admit it and loves cheese, and that he would readily admit. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up and has written several books already (“The World of Science” wherein he explains complex scientific concepts like inertia, DNA etc., “Animal World” about well, animals and “Adventures of Captain Dan” about, err...Captain Dan...). What else? Oh yeah, he’s in love with Amanda Bynes.

Anyway, he and i have a little routine every morning, one which he pretends to be so annoyed about but i know he secretly looks forward to. I know because when it’s that half-year point again he’d say something like “Oh no, morning school! Does that mean Ayang will send me to school again and I have to put up with her rhymes?” Thing is, every morning just as he’s about to leave the car i’d say –

“Bye-bye chicken pie”
“See you soon, cartoon”
“Goodbye sweetie, you’re so freaky”

And i have to think of something new every single day! I sometimes get pretty desperate, especially towards the end of term and say something like “Bye bye tupai*!”. Sigh...It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!

Hmm.. wonder what it’ll be tomorrow? “Tata, kereta**?” Yeah, i know and it’s still only June!

Reading : The Public Confessions of a Middle Aged Woman by Sue Townsend

*tupai = squirrel
**kereta = car