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.
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.
“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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