...to make an old woman happy.
Many years ago I used to do daycare in my home; before and after school only. It was a business that didn't last long. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because one of the children who came pulled a foolish and very hurtful prank on his parent. He had a disagreement with his mother, and to get back at her he said she had been molesting him. The authorities took him away, and thought he confessed he got the story from a TV show he had watched, it took a while for them to become a family again.
That incident scared me, what if he had said it was me that had done the molesting? I would have had a terrible time explaining that, and trying to prove indeed I had not. As a result, I gave notice to all my families and was out of the daycare business within a month.
However, there were two girls, sisters, whom I kept as clients. They came for many years. Of course, they grew older and didn't need me as a provider anymore, they stopped coming...sort of.
To my delight and surprise, they did continue to come to visit. Middle School, High School, College years passed. Still they continued to call, and wanted to come to play cards. Mostly Canasta. Oh, the wonderful times we've had.
Last August, the youngest girl, now in college, left to spend time in Germany. Thanks to Facebook, she was able to share some of her year's experiences with her friends, (including me). Technology is wonderful.
A few years back her older sister got to have the same experience, and as the younger one was winding down her experience, the older went to Europe to vacation with her for a few weeks. They got home a week ago.
Today they came to visit me. I was so excited to see them. And, when they didn't arrive when they said they were supposed to, I worried they had perhaps forgotten. I need not have worried, when they showed up, they came with presents. I was thrilled beyond words. Each brought chocolate...not American chocolate...I'm talking chocolate...melt in your mouth, delicious, European chocolate. And...the younger one brought me a game of Memory/Gaudi Art...while the older brought a refrigerator magnet with the Latin words Verba volant, scripta manent inscribed on it, which translates to "spoken words fly away, written words remain". How lovely...and special, both gifts came from their hearts, and were chosen with special meanings...the memory game because the youngest always beat the pants off of me playing Memory...and the magnet because the older one knows how important writing is to me. Thanks girls, from the bottom of my heart.
We spent this afternoon chatting, I got to hear about their travels and what their immediate plans are for the future. We played Canasta, they teased me bout being old, and what we did while I was their daycare provider. There was always a snack, and a movie, then play time. Sometimes "restaurant", sometimes a game, like Memory.
There were times they didn't get along very well, and I would have be mean and set 'time outs'. One girl in one room, the other another. Once I must have said unless they got along, I would not play with them for a whole year...and, I very well might have said that. It was more like a month that I did not participation in play, however to this day they insist it was indeed a whole year.
This afternoon, the time flew by...before I knew it the clock said it was after six. We said our goodbyes. I thanked them again for my gifts and told them they would always be welcome to come...any time. Then I was again reminded of one of my idiosyncrasies...they are not welcome on 'laundry day', never understanding why laundry day was out of bounds.
Today I actually explained. Laundry day is a work day, and also time consuming. You don't 'work' when you have company. I said it was not polite to say to guests...excuse me, I hear the washer stopped, or, excuse me, I have to go put clothes in the dryer...I guess I can't change the rules with which I grew up, it's a '50's kind of thing. I think they finally understood.
However, I did leave them with a puzzlement today. Looking at my hand of cards, I discovered a move that eluded me at first, and I happened to say..."Oh, I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw." It made no sense to them what-so-ever, and try as I might, I could not adequately explain. I'm betting they will never let me forget that one.
Stick around girls...there's plenty more where that came from...but I think you already know that.
Thanks for a great afternoon and for making an old woman happy. Love you.
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