On Saturday, my friend A.Z. and her family came over to check on my baby brother. A.Z. is also Chinese-American, and she knows the Chinese language just as well as English. She can read Chinese classics now, while I’m just struggling with second grade Chinese.
Anyway, A.Z. also has a little brother, who’s about four years old. He’s a mess to take care of. He’s rowdy, rough, and loud, so A.Z. has a hard time trying to keep him calm. While he was at my house, he kept following me around, wanting to play and all. I had no intention of doing so, because that little kid punches and kicks without any restraint! He has no objection towards abusing his big sister, and as time went on, he did the same with me. Good thing he’s only four years old.
But he isn’t the first kid who likes to follow me around everywhere. EVERY little kid I meet likes to follow me around everywhere. They stick to me like a magnet. I always end up exhausted because they refuse to play by themselves and leave me alone.
But I guess that’s my fault. Whenever I meet a little kid for the first time, they’re always shy and hide behind mommy’s legs or whatever. So I try to be friendly and play with them a little. Then they’re happy and aren’t so shy around me. But then they drag me around EVERYWHERE, and whenever I manage to detach myself from them, they run after me and haul me back into their playroom. So I’m stuck with being their playmate until the parents decide that it’s time to go home, which the little kids aren’t so happy about. They pout and cry and sniff, begging anyone who’ll listen to let me stay.
Of course, I try to ignore them and go home anyway. But it’s so hard to, when you see their scrunched up little faces stained with tears as you drive away. Why do little kids have to be so cute and cruel at the same time?
I’m going to an Open House at my high school on Thursday, which should be interesting, because all my friends will be going, too. Well, all my friends who are going to the IB program at that high school. My other friends are going to the high school that’s closest to their homes.
