Drop in and Wedding Bells
Posted on June 20, 2005 by Kamili Posey
Today is the second to last day of drop-in. It is June 20th (or 21st?) and I am trying to write something for the 826 blog. I don’t really know what a blog is. I decide that it should consist of notes from today. It is my last day for the school year, so maybe they will be sad notes. We are sitting at the table closest to the bathroom: me, Charlie, Nalani and Brendan. Nalani peers over my shoulder. “What are you doing?” she asks. “Somebody is supposed to be helping me with my homework.” She looks at me impatiently. She’s doing her math homework, but it is too easy for her. I point to the only answer on the page that she has done incorrectly (and really, it’s just two numbers that she reversed). “What?” she says. “I don’t know.” I say, “You tell me. Just look at it again.” She smacks herself in the head (really) then erases frantically. She reverses the numbers. “Good,” I say. Alex appears at my side with a paper airplane. “It’s a Star Wars plane,” he says, then falls to the floor giggling hysterically. Nalani looks over at him, “Kids,” she mumbles under her breath. She’s nine. I try not to laugh. It’s really hard to write. I turn to Charlie, “What’s a blog?” He’s not listening. I am at a loss. He and Brendan are playing an intense game of Scrabble, but I think they are making up words (“Uh…is ‘ano’ a word?).
A very small second-grader tumbles out of the bathroom holding his nose. It smells. He looks at us and talks through his nose, “It’s a real stink bomb,” he says, then turns and runs away. We groan and move our table a little to the left. It feels like most other Mondays. Maybe there is a little more restless energy today. I stop writing to break up a fight erupting between Nalani and Brendan. They have been insulting each other all afternoon. They are too much alike, and neither backs down. Charlie tries to draw Brendan back into Scrabble. I interrupt when the “your mama” jokes start. I have to muffle a laugh. I know they shouldn’t fight, but they are small and funny. To end the dispute, I ask them if they are fighting because they are in love. They both fall silent and stare at me indignantly. I have said the forbidden word aloud. L-o-v-e. There are collective “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” from a few passersby. Brendan swears he will never marry (this reminds me of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone). Nalani grabs the first volunteer she can find (sorry, Dan) and marries us instantly. She pushes our hands together, “We are now wed,” she says. This is nine-year old revenge.
Eventually the other volunteers shuffle kids back to tables and back to homework. We call a truce at the table and continue to work semi-quietly. All in a day’s work, I guess. When the clock hits 5:30 the bubble bursts. Parents, older sisters and/or brothers and babysitters arrive in a steady stream through the secret door. The kids disappear. They go home, or to swim practice, karate lessons, or dance rehearsal. We find our twenty-something selves alone. We put on messenger bags and backpacks and throw away candy wrappers, soda cans, juice boxes, and empty chip bags. Joan stands near the door, she looks friendly and tired. I still cannot believe that these guys do this every day. (Really, Joan, Ted, Scott, you guys are amazing). We say goodbye to her and to each other and walk outside. It is a little different today though. We won’t be back next week. Charlie and I walk to the F train. “I’m really going to miss this,” he says. I start to answer him, but duck into the street as a kid comes careening down the street on something shiny and metal. I think he waved at us. We look at each other for a second, “Uh…third grade, Anthony?” “No, no, it’s his friend.” “Yes, that’s right, that’s right.” We stop at the corner and say our goodbyes to a couple of other lingering volunteers. “Hey, see you guys,” I say. They wave. We walk. I take Charlie by the arm. It’s been a nice year. A really nice year.
Posted by Kamili Posey