When there is a
knock on my door these days I can pretty much guarantee that it is wee Liam
from the apartment across the way. There are only three apartments on each
floor of the complex in which I live and we have secure access – so no one else
can get up.
There was a
rapping just a little while ago and I dragged myself wearily from my couch and
opened the door. It has been a long day. It has been a long week.
Liam was there in
his Spiderman pajamas and he aimed his wrist at me and made a ‘Phshhhhh” noise
and I took a mock step back as if I was struck and then entangled in a
Spiderman web.
“You got me dude”
I sputtered.
“Spiderman”
he retorted.
Then he raised his
wrist and he ‘Phsshed’ me again.
Spiderman is
Liam’s thing at the moment. He is only five year’s old and about three feet
tall and he has been mostly Fireman Sam in recent weeks so an arachnid
superhero is a nice variation.
“Is your brother here yet?” Liam
enquired.
“I told you yesterday Liam, he’s not arriving until
Wednesday’
“Oh yeah”
“Are you coming in then?”
We both looked
back at Liam’s apartment door and his Dad Warwick shrugged his shoulders and I
waved an OK back.
“Y’oright Wazza?”
I enquired.
I’ll bring him back in a while” I added.
“Earlier if you want” Warwick responded.
“Behave yourself Liam” Warwick told his pint-sized son
“He’s no trouble at all mate” I told Liam’s Dad.
He isn’t - any
trouble at all. He is a gem actually and he quite often lights up my day.
Liam normally has
insightful thoughts and we have pleasant and interesting conversations that intrigue
and amuse me. Our conversations flow as they should between friends.
“Where’s your brother then dude?” I asked of Liam as he hoisted himself up
onto my black leather couch.
“He’s asleep”
“Did you web him like you webbed me?”
‘Mum wouldn’t let me” he complained.
“So I’m the only victim here then?”
“Yes” – then
he ‘Phsshed’ again at me and I held my arms tight to my side as if they
were bound by super spider silk. I toppled over onto the floor flapped about a
bit and told Liam that I couldn’t move.
It seemed to
please him.
“How do I get out of these sticky webs Liam? I’m really
stuck.”
He removed what
must have been an invisible can of some sort from his utility belt/pajama cord
and sprayed me with yet another Phssh noise
and I was miraculously released from the web.
“That is pretty sticky stuff Liam that you should really use
on your enemies and not your mates don’t you think?”
“I don’t have any enemies yet Peter. I am only five years
old”
‘Well said little friend’ I thought to myself.
The sapience and
sagacity of infancy is a remarkable thing. It is an inestimably precious
commodity.
“So you are just practicing on me?”
“Yes and if any bad men come I will shoot web on them to
protect you”
He was being
deadly earnest.
It is pretty cool
having a five-year-old protector.
“How is Dave going then?” Liam enquired.
“He seems to be thriving” I replied.
“Friving?”
Liam’s ‘th’s’ get
lost into ‘f’s’ sometimes - as they do with little kids
“It means doing very well”
Liam gave me Dave
the other day. Dave is a small plastic dinosaur. I admired the dinosaur when I
crossed paths with Liam and his Mum in the lift lobby and Liam handed him to
me. I closely inspected the small lump of green plastic and told him that it
was a fine looking dinosaur. When I went to hand it back Liam told me to keep
it. I refused of course but he was obstinate and insistent. He told me that the
dinosaur would cheer me up and protect me.
I am not sure why
Liam thinks that I need protecting but it seems to be a fairly recurrent theme.
Perhaps I do.
Need protecting.
I have been a bit
under the weather and down in the dumps of late - and the little kid has picked
up on it. The percipience of children astounds me at times.
It dazzles and
delights me.
I thanked Liam
and pretended that there was a speck of dust in my eye as I cradled the
dinosaur - then I told him that I would just look after him for a while. When I
asked him what the dinosaur’s name was Liam told me that he didn’t have one yet.
He then told me I could choose one if I wanted. I asked him if it was a boy or
a girl and he snorted and said that it was a boy of course. He told me that
there weren’t any girl dinosaurs.
What was I
thinking?
I then suggested that
we could perhaps name the dinosaur Dave and he nodded his little blonde head in agreement.
So Dave it is.
I poured us both
tall glasses of milk and we then reclined on my couch with our feet up on the
table.
It was a blokey
moment.
“How was your day then Liam?” I enquired.
He paused in
careful contemplation before declaring that it was good.
“How so small friend?” I asked.
There was a bit
of deliberation again before he said, “Daniel
ate all of his breakfast and Mummy let us pat the dog in the park and we played on
the swings”
“That sounds pretty much like perfection”
“Yeah”
“How come your Mum and Dad and brother and kids and family
don’t live here with you?” he
then asked.
“It’s complicated dude and they are all grown up. Besides
there is only room here for me”
“That nice lady who was here was your little girl wasn’t
she?”
“Yes she is my daughter Liam and she was visiting from
Australia and she is a nice lady isn’t she?”
“She gave me milk too and she read me stories”
“I know she did”
“Do you miss your brother?”
“Every minute of every day”
“But he will be here soon?”
“Next week dude”
"Wednesday" I added and emphasized. The day of my brother's arrival in Singapore has been almost a daily enquiry from Liam and he seems almost as excited as I am about the impending visit.
"Wednesday" I added and emphasized. The day of my brother's arrival in Singapore has been almost a daily enquiry from Liam and he seems almost as excited as I am about the impending visit.
“Can I come over and visit?”
“Anytime you want to but I told you we are going away for awhile”
“Yeah I remember up on a big mountain. Can I bring Daniel?”
“Absolutely”
We both had a big
gulp of milk and I asked Liam if he wanted a biscuit and he said he did but he
better get home. He told me he didn’t want Daniel to wake up and miss him.
I walked him to
his door and said goodnight and he hugged my leg as he is want to do nowadays.
As I turned to leave he said, “Hey Peter”
“Yes Liam”
“Brothers are good aren’t they?”
“They certainly are
mate” I replied.
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