Blindsided

I parked in line along with all the other parents waiting for the bell to ring. Little did I know I was about to be blindsided. I immersed myself in a book when I suddenly realized there were kids whizzing by the car. I looked up and was searching through the mass of mothers and kindergarteners looking for Edison. There he was racing straight for me when he leaped up into the opened window he exclaimed, “Guess what I got today?!” I’m clamoring for answers, “ahhhh sticker?, ahhhhhh book?, aaaaaaaan award?”. He couldn’t take my feeble attempts any longer, “A GIRLFRIEND!!!” Oh, wow, I wasn’t expecting that one. “A girlfriend”, I respond, “what’s her name?”. ”I don’t know”. “Well, what’s she look like?”. Expecting a vague description, Edison whips out with a full blown detailed report, “well she has on this white skirt and purple polka dots on her shirt with a tie that goes around the front like this and ties in the back and it has little dots on it….. her hair does this pokie thing like this(flipping his hand up to show me) in the back …” Wow, she’s really caught his eye. In fact he told me that when they were lined up at recess he walked by and said to her, “You’re my girlfriend”. It was adorable they way he told me, with a confident macho look and hip hand gesture. I am so in trouble. Big trouble. She’s all he talked about for the rest of the day; in fact she’s been the star topic of the week. As soon as we got home he ran down stairs and told his dad and again reported to his brother upon his arrival. In which Everest said with a no fair expression, “what, you have to be 16.” Then the two brothers submerged themselves in guy talk.

Later that night, still on cloud nine Edison confides in me, “mom, we were sitting on the carpets at class and I was looking at her the whole time and whispered to myself, she is sooooooo beautiful.” Almost confessing Everest comes up quietly and says, “I kind of have a girlfriend too, mom. I haven’t really talked to her yet, but she’s in the class next door. Her class comes in to do stuff with ours and when I saw her I whispered to myself, I hope she sits at my table.” “Did she” I asked. With a sweet little smile he shook his head yes. Oh my I’m so in trouble. Everest has been quieter about girls, that’s his nature but now he and his brother talk constantly about them. What they should say and do. It’s really cute but my goodness I was hoping for a couple more years.

In the dark of their room past bedtime they talked quietly about what they should say the next day to their girlfriends, Everest giving his younger brother advice. Edison comes out with a hopeful grin, “I think I want to write my girl friend a message.” “Well that’s a good idea, what do you want to say in your message?” “I don’t know I just want to write her a message.” “Well why don’t you think about what you’d like to say while you lay in your bed and go to sleep.” Skipping back to his bed he went.

Little tidbits and updates keep coming. Like he even mentioned the “M” word last night as I was tucking him into bed. Yes, marriage. Did I mention I’m in trouble? I told him he’s a little young for marriage let’s just work on the friendship part for now. I’m expecting a phone call from her parents any day now.

I had mentioned I wanted to meet his girlfriend or at least see who she is. So, yesterday I waited in the same line of parents waiting to pick up their little socialites. I spotted Edison and I started over to greet him. He was floating and beaming from ear to ear. I honestly don’t know what was keeping him from floating away because his feet were at least three feet off the ground. I knew the little girl beside him was ‘the’ one, because he was trying so hard to walk right beside her. Not go too fast, nor too slow and he was frantically searching through the mom’s, cars and kids for me with a proud look ready to show her off. I had a sudden flash-forward, seeing my little 5 year old as a 22 year old bringing home his fiancé. Smitten with love. My they grow up so fast.

Today he jumped in the car and excitedly reported his progress; “she talked to me more today”. On the way home he says, “I love school!” I don’t doubt it one bit, but I’m curious as to just what they are teaching them. Sitting in the back seat of our expedition he tells his younger brother Isaac, “When you go to school you get to have girlfriends”. Isaac’s face lights up. We might be switching to an all boys school by next year.