Just a Matter of Time

I knew this day would come. I just didn't see it creeping up on me, but it's finally here. My boys have reached a milestone each.

The baby is just about to roll over. Ok, big deal, some might say, but it is. It is the first step down his road to independence. First he will roll, then scoot (actually he already does a lot of scooting on his back when in the crib, so much so that I've been calling him Scooter each morning when he wakes up two feet from where I left him the night before), then crawl, then cruise, then walk, then run, then jump, then climb and then I don't know what since Gusi is at the climbing stage and I'm not sure what's next. In any case, it's the baby's first step towards independence. I've got mixed emotions. The baby stage seems to be a lot shorter this time around, probably because I've got to keep an eye on each kid. I'm glad he's making strides though.

Gusi is now asking why. Why Mami? He never really understood the why or how of things, so he didn't ask. He just accepted things as they were, but now he wants more depth in his life I suppose. This has been happening for a few days now, this constant need to ask why.

Today was difficult though. We went to buy groceries, just the two of us. When we entered the supermarket he asked why didn't I want to get a big shopping cart (because then I can't keep tabs on you and your little shopping cart). When we went to the butcher, he asked why didn't I like the turkey hot dogs (the ones over here taste gross to me, the frankfurters are better). And when we went to the little fruit kiosk guy where I buy my fruit from he had me stumped. We didn't get out since the fruit guy saw our car and ran over to take my order (drive up fruit stand comes in handy with kids in the car). As soon as my window went down a crowd of people came over. Some wanted to sell me sunglasses, others prepaid calling cards, others plastic hangers, but most were begging for money. Actually, one woman asked for a cadeau (present) from me. I told them all no, gave the fruit guy my order and rolled the window back up while we waited. The people mostly dispersed except for the cadeau lady. She picked up a little girl, probably her daughter who looked about Gusi's age, and smacked her right across the face, then swung at her again. Gusi and I both saw it. I knew what was coming next. Why did she hit the little girl Mami? What could I say? I wanted to cry and scream. Cry because I had hoped my son would never see something like that; scream at the damn woman who was beating her child in front of me and my son. I answered that I didn't know why she hit the little girl, but that it wasn't right, no one should hit anyone. The only thing I could think of was to make the story have a moral. What else could I do?