It’s morning. The hub gives me a cuddle, then disappears back into his laptop. Rockstar is still asleep, and when he wakes he’s a little prickly: “Mum,” from whence Kings has taken him aside, “I sang Happy Birthday to you yesterday, remember?” (we were at family friends’ for mid-autumn dinner-and-tanglungs, complete with a little ice cream mooncake with a candle stuck in it served by their 10-year-old girl. Rockstar broke out in song immediately. Very un-Rockstar.)
In the absence of permission to put pictures of other people’s kids up, try to imagine, with appropriate music please, images of really good-looking tall Asian children (at 5ft 7inches I’m the shortest grownup, unless you count grandparents or helpers – of course these kids must be tall). These would be our friends’ gorgeous (and very well-mannered) children who served desert, showed Rockstar how to shoot hoops, listened indulgently to his explanation Why An Ace Is The Biggest Card, or gurgled good-naturedly and made us long for The Good Old Days When Rockstar Was A Toddler. (Wait. Wha’m I saying, Rockstar was never easygoing, good-natured toddler.)
Something Fishy About These Two...
Where’s my cellphone? Kings borrowed it last night, the battery on his Berry was faulty. Well of course it’s faulty, it never gets a moment’s rest. Smug.
Found my phone. Trust Kings to chuck it near the hotel room door. Did he even realize he left it behind the ice bucket above the bar? Why can’t he ever lose his berry like that? I glare at his ear-phoned form. Annoyed.
And it’s switched off? He flattened my battery?? Very annoyed.
Finally. On. …..Why isn’t my email loading? What’s happened to the hotel Wifi? “Internet’s down,” Kings back says to me.
And now we have to leave for the airport. Ah. There is just no way Changi Airport doesn’t have Wifi. I do not want like, fifty unread messages waiting for me when we land.
As we pull up, my iPhone dings reassuringly. Let’s see… Overnight I have….. I have…….. Hang on. This can’t be right.
“WHY do I have so many emails overnight?”
“I need your cellphone again. Tim is going to call, I gave him your number.” Crap. His berry is not even cold. Shouldn’t there be an appropriate mourning period?
“Hang on. At least lemme see what’s making my mailbox so full. Oh. Facebook…”
“Mum. I need to watch my videos now.”
I fork over my phone. I take videos of him in erm, “favorable” situations like when he’s playing nicely with other kids or speaking articulately, for him to watch later, as yet another way of encouraging good behavior. I never turn down a request for “video revision” if I can help it. Rockstar didn’t get to watch his most recent videos playing with our friends’ kids from last night because Kings kidnapped my phone.
When Rockstar’s done, Kings disappears to make his phone call.
“Stay here.” As Rockstar toys with breakfast 10 feet away I spy Kings messing with his iPad. So my cellphone must be free.
“Can I please have my phone.”
Kings starts at my voice, “I’m still waiting for the call.”
“Why can’t I just hand you the phone when it rings?”
“Okok go sit down first.” Still not forking it over. My husband is infuriating. Did he not hear a word I just said?? Probably not. This is not that unusual when he’s working. Briefly I consider taking it forcibly except he has a gadzillion pockets and is carrying his usual “Travel With Rockstar” Le Sportsac bag – which is really a lightweight diaper bag – yes, with umpteen compartments.
Singapore airport security would probably have a fit at the commotion. A few commandos just walked by, much to Rockstar’s delight. Big guns. (He knows never to go near the real stuff – lengthy explanations are the best prevention for serious little children.)
“Where’s…. my…… PHONE!!”
“Hmm?” I could kill him. Except he is the father of my child.
“Muuu-uuuummmmmmm……..!”
“I want to play Bingo Bugs.”
“You have not touched that in weeks.”
“I need it.”
“Ask your father. He still has my phone.”
<silence>
Rockstar starts playing Pirate Jack on his iPad.
(That should have made me a little more suspicious but by now I’m fidgety from thinking about the 47 untouched emails in my mailbox, I only glanced at the first 3 facebooks.)
“You don’t need to watch videos?” (Secretly I’m hoping to get a few minutes alone with my phone after he’s done.)
“I’m busy.”
To… Be… Continued…..!
Suspense… waiting for Part 2. I was wondering how in the world Rockstar and his father managed to keep you away from your blog. Wouldn’t be easy for them 🙂
Finish the story!! I want to hear the rest 🙂
Hi 5 to the great son-dad team! Although I can imagine how infuriating it would have been for you at the time. I wanna know how long they kept you in suspense for.
I could have written this post word for word. What would we do it we are cut off from our phones. I can’t wait to hear the rest.