19-07-17 Crack City

Wednesday 19th July 2017

Its 7:48pm. Guess where Kingsley and I are? His favourite crack den – Fun City at Ibn Battuta. We’re here often enough – twice a week – to get Kingsley’s fix of colour, movement, fluorescent lighting and shrill noises. But we only ventured out of the house after 5pm today since it was unnaturally hot outside. The scorching winds were worse so we hung out at home all day doing chores, eating and watching fairy tales. Current fabourites are: Ali Babba and the 40 Thieves, The Snow Queen, The Jungle Book, Gingerbread Man, Thumbelina, Ugly Duckling.

Between shows I taught Kingsley the Greek Alphabet, counting. He helped vaccum and bring in the clean, dried clothes from the line. I stuffed him with apples, banana, lebanese pita, egg, milk washing it all down. The house and all its surfaces are dusted, vacuumed, bleached. And with far too much energy coiled up in that body, we left the house bound for Crack City.

Kingsley witnessed by stern side just now. I let rip on two local boys who were tormenting their sister by aggressively throwing balls at her head. The maid/nanny was ineffectual; they ignored her. The sister was bashed and broke down in tears, collapsing in a heap within the maid/nanny’s skirts ; the boys ran off. Then ten minutes later – once their sister rallied her spirits finally – the brothers struck again. Well I wasn’t standing by fir round 2. I let rip. ‘NO! YOU DON’T THROW BALLS ONTO HER HEAD. NO!!’ I stood up, pointed my finger, they cowered and fell to the ground and finally stopped abusing their sister. Someone had to stand up for her. Kingsley saw it was me, and he saw what doing the right thing looks, sounds and feels like.

But what was even a greater lesson taught and hopefully caught by one and all (and especially Kingsley) was that I/we soon thereafter made peace with the perpetrators and the victim and we all played happily for the next two hours. I chased all the kiddos being THE MONSTER and they ran all through Crack City. Other kids asked if they could play with us. OF COURSE I panted between chasings. Kingsley bellowed in disbelief that we all had to go home – it being 11pm for Heaven’s sake – and the Monster chasings my Mumma will be finished. Promises were solemnly made to return to Crack City tomorrow and we all swiftly departed, headed for the metro and home.