Duh!

Pictured - Kendra, Katrina, and Jonathan - acting out the story of the three bears.

Yesterday I was watching Katrina, Kendra, and their two best buddies - Amy (4) and Jonathan (6). Being the only boy in the group, Jonathan was wandering around with a soccer ball mumbling "Will anyone play soccer with me?" while the girls played their never-ending game of house and ignored him. I told him that I was very sorry but could not play with him because I had the wrong shoes on (slightly elevated).

Jonathan continued to walk aimlessly around looking forlorn in one of his three soccer shirts. And so of course, I gave in. How bad could it be? It's not like I would be playing with my brothers who turn every soccer game into full-body tackle football. Our soccer game was going splendidly (i.e. I was winning) until I twisted my ankle due to the shoes. As Gerald said, "You played soccer in high heals???" Not exactly. But they weren't flat either.

So for the last day I have been hobbling around with a minor sprain. I thought back to fourth grade when a boy named Miles came to school on crutches. We were all SO impressed, and somewhere in the back of my mind arose that desire to milk the injury for all it was worth and have the thrill of everyone feeling sorry for me . . . but alas, my silly ankle didn't even swell up. What a bummer to have pain but no evidence. Gerald was even teasing me of switching feet - "Weren't you just hopping on your left foot and now it's your right?" Later in the evening Kendra came to me with her doll's legs all askew. "What is she doing?" I asked - "She's hopping" came the reply.

Since Fatima Ezzahara is an athlete, she said she would show me how to massage and wrap my ankle. But she kept saying something about a man - what man? I asked - Gerald? ("Your man" means "husband.") A guy downtown? I kept asking her which man was to massage and wrap my ankle. Finally I figured out she was saying "ankle" and not "man!" I've had problems with these words before since they are so close. I asked a friend of Ron and Laurie's how her leg/ankle was doing (she had been having some pain). "He's dead" she replied. "No - your leg, not your husband!" I said tapping my leg. "Oh! She exclaimed," and thankfully we were able to have a good laugh.