Baby Book - Phase Two
Chapter Fifty-one - Girls in the Sandbox
Mid July, 2272
Nyota arrived at the day care center to pick up her children and stopped at the door, looking in in astonishment. The sandbox was full of girls. They were not letting any of the boys in. They appeared to have completely landscaped the whole sandbox, with streets and houses, and everything. They had all the tiny vehicles moving around on the streets and little people figures standing in the yards. The boys were complaining loudly. She just stood there at the door, trying not to laugh. At least there was no sand in the girls hair! When the sandbox was full of boys, there was usually sand everywhere!
Grayson caught sight of his Mama and came running over to her. "Mama, come help! Suzy and Jilly and Amanda will not let us play in the sandbox!"
"What did Miss Betty say?"
"She said we had to share. But they're not sharing! They have the whole thing!"
"And how many times have you and the other boys had the whole thing?"
Grayson sputtered at her. "but, but, but, MAMA!"
"It won't hurt you to let the girls have the sandbox for one day. Besides it's supper time now." She walked over to the sandbox and lifted Amanda up. Her daughter leaned over, trying to get back to the sandbox. "No, Amanda, time for supper."
"Sanbos! Sanbos!"
"Yes, I know you were having fun in the sandbox, but it's time to go now."
"Sanbos, Mama! Sanbos."
"Little girl, time to be quiet."
Amanda knew the quiet word. She stuck out her lower lip and pouted. Mama just laughed at her.
When they got to the mess hall, Grayson went running right to Spock. "Baba! The girls wouldn't let us in the sandbox!"
Spock raised one eyebrow at him. "What did Miss Betty say?"
Grayson looked from one parent to another. How did they always ask the same questions? "Miss Betty said we had to share, but the girls were not sharing!"
Spock looked at him. "How often do the girls get to have the sandbox all to themselves?"
Grayson looked confused. "Why would they want that?"
"Perhaps the girls wish to play differently in the sandbox than the boys do. They probably do not wish to have sand in their hair, for one thing."
Grayson considered that. "We do not always get sand in our hair." He got another raised eyebrow for that answer.
Nyota handed Amanda down to Spock and headed for the food line. Amanda patted her Baba on the face. "Sanbos, Baba, sanbos."
"Did you play in the sandbox, Amanda?"
"Mana luhb sanbos, Baba. Mana pay sanbos. Sanbos!"
Jim sat down beside Spock. "Sanbos? Ah, sandbox. The girls were in the sandbox today?"
"So it seems. Amanda seems to be thrilled and Grayson is incensed."
"Isn't that always the way? The guys find something great and then the ladies come along and make it all civilized."
"That actually seems to be very close to what has occurred. The girls wish to play in the sandbox without getting sand in their hair."
Jim laughed out loud. "Poor little boys. I think they're going to lose."
Grayson came around and climbed up into his Unca Jim's lap and patted his cheek to get his attention. "Unca Jim, Unca Jim, make the girls give us back the sandbox. We want to play, too."
"Hey, kid, I don't give orders in the sandbox, sorry. But I'll bet if you quit making such a big deal out of it, they'll lose interest. Or you could go play with all the fuzzies and they might decided that looks like more fun."
Grayson thought hard about that. Maybe he would suggest that to the other boys tomorrow.
____________
Author's Note : Dear Readers: Please do not despair if there are no new chapters loaded tomorrow. I am going in for a minor out-patient surgical procedure early tomorrow morning and may not feel like posting when I return home. Posting will resume as soon as I feel comfortable sitting at my computer.
