30-05-16 Heartburn

Monday 30th May 2016
Now we enter our third week in Greece. It’s past 11pm and we are both insomniacs so we are watching Tèrata ke Exogiïnes’, Nickelodeon/Dreamworks’ ‘Monsters v. Aliens’ and eating banana and paximáthia. Sitting up on mum’s bed tonight for our bed is not in use since Kingsley poured a bottle of water over it this noon: the mattress and sheets are out drying and he copped a couple of short sharp slaps on the wrist as punishment, in a rage I push his face into the wet mattress plus dispensed as punishment a spell of standing in the kitchen corner. I become sick with guilt all the above; usual internal conflict I go through with this kidlet. But he was knowing not to pour the water out as I told him just before I gave him the water bottle, hopeful as ever that he won’t spill it (he usually spills it, and always does so when I am not lording over him). Today I stayed in the kitchen while he toddled off to the bedsit, and all quiet it was after a wee while, so when I poked my head round I catch Kingsley running his hands on the wetness of the sheets and smiling joyfully, like he had discovered a new sensation.

All cleaned and forgotten and after a hearty breakfast then morning tea (three slices buttery bread, two eggs, veal sausage, milk) we are off to discover the coastline and throw stones into the water. A grocery shop, a picnic for lunch (olives, mushrooms, potato chippies, some biftèki, cucumber, paximáthia, yoghurt), a nap, then a feed on waking before heading out to the beach for swims. Kingsley refuses to wear swim shorts for some reason. Plain refuses. He frolics and I get in the water too: it’s refreshing and cool yet just right as the sun sets as there is no breeze at all. Bathe him at the communal shower, carry him to dry, dress him, feed him the rest of the biftèki then head to the pethikî harâ till far too late.

The upside to so much action is that the little man has built an appetite so tonight he gets hot buttery carrots, mushrooms and broccoli plus olives and some salmon. Heartburn inducing. Perhaps this is why we can’t sleep…

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