9PM, the house is calm; we are at stand still with the negotiations. We have recovered the hostage, a tranquil and innocent one year old boy with blue eyes the size of saucers from the gated off room. The lone holdout wants a train.
The lead negotiator moves slowly toward the room. She is a pretty woman; her curly hair is one of her defining traits. She is getting fatigued. Her once ice cold demeanor is showing cracks. I worry she doesn’t have much left before it will be my turn to try and resolve the standoff. “Listen”, the negotiator offers gently. “We can get the train set up tomorrow.”
“NO!” the once tender lawbreaker bellows from the gated off room. “NO, NOOOOO, NONONONO”
I see the negotiator about to crack, I step in. “Okay”, I softly gesture, “it is Okay, let’s do this…” I pause, there is sobbing in the gated off room, is the lone holdout breaking? Are we near the end of the madness?
We hear sobbing, the end is close.
I look at my lead negotiator. Through that glance we know what is next. The lone holdout comes out slowly from the room. We approach with caution as we prepare to storm the gated off room.
“Mommy”, my three year old daughter sobs to my wife, the lead negotiator. “Can I have some water”? “I am tired and thirsty”
“Yes, sweetie let’s go to the kitchen.” My wife answers quietly.
“Daddy, I love you” Sobs my daughter the lone hold out and the captor of her blue eyed brother.
“I love you too sweetpea”. I reply
While they stroll to the kitchen I quickly check on my son the blue eyed boy. He is sleeping. I hurry to the scene of the standoff. There isn’t much time. I have to get Thomas the tank engine and the track back in the box or we’ll never get her in bed.
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2 comments:
Thomas is the one impossible-to-share toy for our boys. Constant arguing over who has it and who wants it, which is made even more annoying since the not quite 2-year old can only say "mine" and "choo choo," sprinkled in amongst his grunts and sobs. The 3-year old gets so worked up that he doesn't do much better either.
I see a second Thomas in my (very near) future.
We have the oval wood track and Thomas with a coal car.
Then we also have the Trackmaster Percy. He is battery operated and runs until he dies many a night.
We are the same with the age spread. The boy is 17 months and the Girl is a mature 3 years old. The communication barrier frustrates the 3 year old to no end. But those moments they get to playing together nicely it is comical to watch.
What is entertaining is when the Monster Truck finds a railroad crossing.
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