Wednesday 19 October 2011

Watch where you step!

Our sweet David is our accident prone child.  He's frequently seen sporting band-aids on both of his knees and elbows.  Poor kid is always tripping, falling off his bike or crashing his scooter.  He's always been this way.  I haven't quite figured it out but I've got two theories.  A.)  He's a complete and total klutz!  B.)  He's younger than the other children but doesn't let his age determine what he will accomplish.  He may be littler but he can hang with the Big Dogs.



David eating his donut in the school courtyard.
"LOOK MA!  NO BAND-AIDS!!!"

I think it's a little bit of both.  He IS a klutz but he's also attempting to keep up with his siblings.  We often have to remind ourselves..."He is ONLY four!"  (Although, he looks like your average 2nd grader!)  He's our Gentle Giant and the child that if harm is going to befall "someone"...David is THE one it will happen to.  He's like an accident magnet!

We had a big family shopping trip this weekend and while we were heading into the mall...you know, casually walking along the sidewalk....David nearly falls into a hole!  YEP!  I saw it coming a mile away. 

It kind of goes without saying, you should always be careful of where you are walking in India.  Most areas are an active construction zone or at least that's what they look like.  Things are generally unkept and run down or unfinished.  It is not uncommon to find huge gaping holes...random holes....some of them VERY deep and some obviously related to construction but some are just basically items in disrepair.  So, as the family is strolling down this sidewalk hand in hand....I can see we are approaching this hole.  Not a cavernous hole but a HOLE nonetheless.  David, in his typical, carefree and generally speaking "Not paying attention" way, is literally a second away from his whole LEG going down this hole.  Me, in my generally calm and collected way, (NOT!) I reach out and the only thing I can get ahold of is the back of his t-shirt.  I manage to snag just enough cloth and I give it a good yank and shout, "HOOOOOOOLE!!!!"  After I've just saved the Clueless Kid from what surely would have been a DISASTER! He looks at me and then looks down at the hole and simply says, "Oh!" 

"OH!?!?!  Oh yah!!  Geesh, Boy!  WAKE UP, I SAY!!!"  Immediately, all of the other kids start laughing!!  In retrospect, in my moment of panic when I reached out to seize The Child, I realized I had been quite LOUD and dramatic but I seriously thought he was going DOWN and I wasn't sure what he would have lost in that Abyss!?  His shoe?  His foot?  Dear, God, His entire LEG!?!  (Drama.  I'm all about the drama!  Hahaha!)  And David's reaction was so typical David.  Little was uttered just a simple, "Oh"  but in that one word I can read him like a book so many thoughts in his mind.  "Hmmm.  Didn't see that there."  "Wonder where that came from?"  "Tricky those holes!"  "Never saw that coming."  He's just calm, that David.  Cool.  "Hmpph.  Interesting."  "A hole."  "Oh." :0)

I have a feeling it might have been one of those "Guess ya had to be there" kinda moments but it was really funny once the moment passed and our brains all started to rewind what could've happened and thank God what didn't happen.  I immediately did an about-face and snapped a picture of the seedy sidewalk.

Gotta love how there is SOOOOO much space all around where you could walk and risk no bodily harm and where was David headed?  Yep.  Straight for the this Crazy Chasm!!!
(Good thing I have lightning fast reactionary shirt yanking skills!)


God only knows what's down there!?!
Well, actually, I probably do.  POOOOOO!
D R Y    H E A V E!!!!!

In David's defense, I will divulge a little secret about myself.  I'm not exactly the Poised Princess (SHOCKING, I know!)  You know the 'ole phrase, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  Well, I think we might be witnessing a little "Apple / Tree" action here.  While walking with the girls one day, although it wasn't a gaping gorge or anything, I somehow managed to put my foot down in just the right crevasse  (Pronounced Crevause if you are Bear Grills) and BAM!  It de-shoed me!  One minute I was tromping along and the next I was Cinderella with only one slipper to my name.  SOOOOO!  Even if you think you are watching your footing - It can happen and I was left saying the same thing as David, "OH!"  "Geesh!  How did that happen!?"  "Give me back my shoe you sneaky sidewalk!"

Ever Vigilant, Jenny from the B'Block ;0)

1 comment:

  1. Entertaining post Jen! Glad that he didn't step that hole, looks like his whole foot / leg could have dropped into it! LOVE his response "Oh" made me laugh, guess it really didn't phase him much.

    So when you lost your shoe did you get it back out of the sidewalk hole or did you have to walk around without a shoe? I try to keep spare flip-flops in the van for the kids because you never know if someone will break or "lose" a shoe.

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