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scenes from an evening
May. 31st, 2002 12:48 amThe banquet last night was lovely. The first batch of kids arrived early (almost twenty of them) and we weren't done setting up inside, so I went out there to keep an eye on them. Naturally, I kept them in order with my commanding voice and intimidating presence.
Me: Hey guys! You look great! We're going to have to stay out here for a little bit while they set up.
Random Kid: Can we go in?
Me: [Using outdoor voice, speaking loudly enough to be heard by everyone] No, we can't go in until Emily and Alex tell us it's ok to come in.
[Spots Random Kid2 pulling door open]
Me: Hey! Could you come over here? We can't go in.
Random Kid3: Why?
Me: Because they're setting up. [Notes kids are forming disturbing Scatter Formation.] Guys! GUYS! Could you stay, like, right here? Just for a little bit.
[Most kids semi-obey, six kids continue walking off.]
Me: Guys, could you, like, stay here?
[Still walking.]
Me: Ok. Well. [Louder] Could you stay in my line of vision? Stay where I can see you!
[Start chasing each other across the field.]
Me: [Muster up Most Commanding Voice] ERIK! MEKKAH! RAFAEL! GET BACK HERE! NOW!
[Kids continue running, eventually rounding the corner of a building and disappearing.]
Me: Dammit!
Random Kid: What did you say?
Me: Nothing! I like your bow. Chris! Get out of that car now! Please?
Anyway, six kids temporarily misplaced but all were ultimately recovered and no automobiles/people/property were hurt. LOTS of kids came, as did a good number of tutors, and the food was good, the prizes for the kids good, and I got presents! Which kicked the evening up a notch even though it didn't need to be. It was really nice, very emotional. I'm going to miss all of them.
After the banquet Anna called me and asked if I wanted to go out for ice cream. We'd both changed into pajama-ish clothes but decided to go with it and take it one step further -- in honor of the evening, we decided to wear the COCOA House T-shirts we got a couple of years ago. Jo decided to come too, and when we picked Anna up she had the crayons we got as part of our gift from next year's officers with her and we decided to get a coloring book for the heck of it.
So, fast forward like a half hour and SCENE:
JESS sits at a small plastic table outside a sidewalk ice cream shop wearing a COCOA House T-Shirt. She's coloring in a picture of Grover visiting his grandma, lips pursed in concentration as she debates whether Grover's grandmother should be blue like him or whether she should make a nod towards multi-culturalism and go for a different color.
Next to her is ANNA in her (slightly dirty) matching COCOA House T-shirt, coloring in a picture of Big Bird and Snuffalupagus. She's eating her second ice cream cone, the first having fallen apart minutes before and now lies in a melting heap on the chair and pavement next to her.
JO is next to them, wearing presentable clothes, not coloring, already done with her ice cream, just surveying the scene with her purse on the table in front of her.
JESS: [licking melting ice cream off her hand] What color should Grover's Nana be?
ANNA: Blue?
JESS: Hm.
[Long coloring pause.]
JO: [Taking in the image of the three of them at the table.] You know girls, this probably looks pretty funny. Matching shirts, ice cream, coloring books. Like I'm this nice person who took the two of you out.
JESS: Oh my God! They probably do! I thought those girls were giving us a weird look.
ANNA: Can you get us a day pass next week, Jo?
JO: I'll try! Maybe we can go to the museum.
JESS and ANNA: Oooooooh.
Me: Hey guys! You look great! We're going to have to stay out here for a little bit while they set up.
Random Kid: Can we go in?
Me: [Using outdoor voice, speaking loudly enough to be heard by everyone] No, we can't go in until Emily and Alex tell us it's ok to come in.
[Spots Random Kid2 pulling door open]
Me: Hey! Could you come over here? We can't go in.
Random Kid3: Why?
Me: Because they're setting up. [Notes kids are forming disturbing Scatter Formation.] Guys! GUYS! Could you stay, like, right here? Just for a little bit.
[Most kids semi-obey, six kids continue walking off.]
Me: Guys, could you, like, stay here?
[Still walking.]
Me: Ok. Well. [Louder] Could you stay in my line of vision? Stay where I can see you!
[Start chasing each other across the field.]
Me: [Muster up Most Commanding Voice] ERIK! MEKKAH! RAFAEL! GET BACK HERE! NOW!
[Kids continue running, eventually rounding the corner of a building and disappearing.]
Me: Dammit!
Random Kid: What did you say?
Me: Nothing! I like your bow. Chris! Get out of that car now! Please?
Anyway, six kids temporarily misplaced but all were ultimately recovered and no automobiles/people/property were hurt. LOTS of kids came, as did a good number of tutors, and the food was good, the prizes for the kids good, and I got presents! Which kicked the evening up a notch even though it didn't need to be. It was really nice, very emotional. I'm going to miss all of them.
After the banquet Anna called me and asked if I wanted to go out for ice cream. We'd both changed into pajama-ish clothes but decided to go with it and take it one step further -- in honor of the evening, we decided to wear the COCOA House T-shirts we got a couple of years ago. Jo decided to come too, and when we picked Anna up she had the crayons we got as part of our gift from next year's officers with her and we decided to get a coloring book for the heck of it.
So, fast forward like a half hour and SCENE:
JESS sits at a small plastic table outside a sidewalk ice cream shop wearing a COCOA House T-Shirt. She's coloring in a picture of Grover visiting his grandma, lips pursed in concentration as she debates whether Grover's grandmother should be blue like him or whether she should make a nod towards multi-culturalism and go for a different color.
Next to her is ANNA in her (slightly dirty) matching COCOA House T-shirt, coloring in a picture of Big Bird and Snuffalupagus. She's eating her second ice cream cone, the first having fallen apart minutes before and now lies in a melting heap on the chair and pavement next to her.
JO is next to them, wearing presentable clothes, not coloring, already done with her ice cream, just surveying the scene with her purse on the table in front of her.
JESS: [licking melting ice cream off her hand] What color should Grover's Nana be?
ANNA: Blue?
JESS: Hm.
[Long coloring pause.]
JO: [Taking in the image of the three of them at the table.] You know girls, this probably looks pretty funny. Matching shirts, ice cream, coloring books. Like I'm this nice person who took the two of you out.
JESS: Oh my God! They probably do! I thought those girls were giving us a weird look.
ANNA: Can you get us a day pass next week, Jo?
JO: I'll try! Maybe we can go to the museum.
JESS and ANNA: Oooooooh.
