Today, as one daughter eagerly bopped away from us for an impromptu playdate after school, the other melted into a sad puddle of sobbing. For not being invited. For being left out. Again. It’s hard to have a very social older sister, especially when you are Laurel.
So I took the easy way out and asked if she’d like to go on a special date with me to go get ice cream. Her dismal little head nodded, bangs flapping up and down, fingers in her mouth. The tears, at least, stopped. On the way to Brigham’s in Arlington right down the street from our house, I noticed that the hardware store had its summer wares out for display. I quickly detoured into the parking lot and led one very sad girl over to take a look at the pools. I did a quick glance at the prices and said, “Pick one out!” She did, and we paid the $14.23 and headed out.
Evil has a hose!
Minutes later, Laurel and I are walking down the trail that runs from the hardware store to right in back of our house, as the new plastic pool wouldn’t fit into our van. Her smile was so bright that she lit up an otherwise rather cloudy day. She danced and jumped the entire way home, her eyes lighting up as she talked about all the things she planned to do this summer in her pool.
When we got home, she wiggled into her bathing suit and begged me to fill her new pool. Even though the rain was coming down by then, she didn’t care. She sat in that pool, under an umbrella and enjoyed herself, despite the deluge. After a few minutes, the sun peeked out.
It can keep on raining every day next week, as it has for the last two weeks. As the weather channel has predicted.
I’ll still find a way to bring some sunshine into my backyard.