
the one on the right…at least for the summer…at least I am going to try to.
His name is Sam and he lives about four blocks that way and is pretty much the only kid around for Dane to play with. He’s always been sort of a quiet one who bordered on shady to me…a little sheisty…and perhaps not the most ideal best bud for my kid. But there is something about this boy that just won’t let me cross him off the buddy list, even after an incident at school last year when he could have gotten my kid in a heapin’ helpin’ load of trouble.
Dane, of his own accord, distanced himself for a while, but all was forgiven and he wanted to play again, and I let him.
On our Austin trip, where that picture was taken, I got to know Sam a little bit better, as I sat across from them on the bus ride down and was tickled by their incessant use of “DUDE!” whenever they addressed one another. And to be clear, it was DUDE!, not just Dude. More and more Samuel seemed to warm up to me, asking if he could call me “Mrs. Y” and flashing a quick, bright smile that went all the way to his velvety black eyes that look so much like my boy’s. He’s built a lot like Dane, too, and from behind the only thing that really distinguishes the two is that Samuel is a little taller and his hair is longer and wavier. At Luby’s, where we stopped for dinner, he sat with Dane and I and we got to know each other even better. I learned that he hates strawberries, but loves just about every other fruit, and that he can put about four straws together and drink a Coke, and that I had this inexplicable desire to make him eyes smile.
So, yesterday, the boy and I went down and grabbed Samuel and I took them to SnoBiz for a snow cone. Dane, of course, being the big fan of snow cones that taste like frozen adult beverages that he is, ordered Pina Colada, and Samuel blue coconut, which told me all over again that he was a good egg, since blue coconut is MY favorite, too. We drove around a bit, the boys happily slurping their cones and DUDE! ing.
As we drove by the courthouse, Samuel said matter of factly, “I’ve been in there. My dad sued my mom and I had to go in there.”
Nice, I whispered to myself, shaking my head and quickly talking about how it was such an old building and I bet it was so pretty since they remodeled it, blargy blargy blargy, because, duh, I can’t stand even thinking about that scenario…but the deep quiet in his black eyes started to make a little more sense to me just then.
And he started unfolding.
His mother, it seems, lives in a neighboring town with his brother and sister. He lives here with his dad and (stepmom?) and an older cousin. His mom bought him a four-wheeler, which is awesome, and she is from Puerto Rico and used to work at that nursing home. His aunt’s last name is Zoolu, he wants to live in Manhatten when he grows up because it seems “so cool,” he got the Most Improved Wildcat award at the end of school awards ceremony, and he dyed his pitch black hair blue the last day of school to celebrate.
And I became positive that I wanted this boy to be that kid who is always around, flopped over this sofa or that, playing video games and eating our food. He dyed his hair blue, ferpetesake
Anyway.
I’m going to take those two to the pool on Saturday and I’m going to find a shady spot to sit and read Twilight and sweat…and watch the dudes play while I soak up the sounds and smells of summer…Texas country music blaring from the sound system and chlorine…and I will smile. I don’t have too many years left where I can do that without looking creepy, so I want to enjoy it while I can.
oh, and when we got home yesterday, Dane was positively beaming and proclaimed, while throwing his arms around me, I was the best mom ever.
Funny how something so simple as a snow cone run with a buddy can do that…
Score.
an means peace, quiet, tranquility and calm.