Part One
The winter was a
daily torment of rubbery snow pants, difficult boots, and droopy
mittens, but now it was finally warm for good.
Changing out of my
school clothes so I could play, I asked if I could go outside wearing
nothing.
"Nothing?"
my mom repeated. "No."
"But it's warm
out. It's really spring now!"
"You can't go
outside wearing nothing. Where did you get that idea? The other kids
will laugh at you!"
"No they won't.
Joanne's wearing nothing. It's not fair."
"What did we
say about whining? Joanne's wearing nothing?"
"Yes!"
My mom took a step
towards my bedroom door as if to head downstairs and outside to check
my claim, but then she turned back to me.
"You mean
Joanne is wearing absolutely no clothes: no shorts, no top, no
underwear, nothing?"
"What? NO!
She's wearing NO SWEATER and NO JACKET!"
"Shush, no
yelling. So you mean she's wearing nothing over her clothes."
"YESSSS!"
I remembered to stop yelling.
"So can I go outside wearing nothing?"
My mom sighed like
she was ready for bedtime. "Yes, you can," she said. And I
did.
Part Two
The baby of the family, my great niece, is tootling around the floor and under the table while we adults drink our coffee.
"What's that?"
she asks, pointing to my ankle.
"Oh, just a
beauty mark."
She is at that age
where skin is better than toys and the day's not done until she gets
a boo-boo and a bandaid.
"No, not that,
that. What is it?" She's pointing furiously and even
seems a bit nervous, so I explain to her that people can have bumps
on their skin and they don't hurt.
"No, THAT!!!!!"
She clearly isn't
going to let this go so I set down my cup and take a look.
Gah! My ankle and
shin are covered in crusted rivulets of dried blood, set off by
brighter pink splotches created when I toweled dry from my morning
shower.
"Oh, goodness!"
We all try not to curse around the little darling. "I must have
cut myself while shaving and didn't realize it. Don't worry, it
doesn't hurt. I'll clean it up."
I get up to grab a
paper towel and I catch my great niece frowning at me, her little
cupid's-bow lips scrunched with disapproval. The look she's giving me
is so filled with scorn, you'd think she had just seen me walk
outside wearing nothing.
