The Unpack

Moving house is most inconvenient. Nothing is where it should be when you need it. All week the same scenario has played out on repeat. For example: I’ll go to hang out the washing then realise the pegs are still somewhere in the garage where we dumped everything. I’ll walk down two flights of stairs to the garage and, whilst searching, unearth something else I realise is needed up above. After having walked back upstairs and placing said item where it should go I’ll return to hanging out the washing only to realise I’ve forgotten the pegs.

Slowly but surely things are getting placed where they should be and the pile in the garage is shrinking.

But in amongst all the unpacking, the warm glow of home-making merriment was dampened by the fact a key member of our family did not come with us.

Our cat of ten years, Trixie, disappeared the day we moved. Although I’d half-jokingly tried to throw our problematic stray cat, Jesse, in as a freebie to several customers during our yard sale the weekend previous, he happily jumped in the car, made himself right at home on the window seat of the new abode and has been on his best behaviour since.

But half an hour before we left last Friday, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. Having looked forward to not travelling across town every day, instead we’ve made the hour-round journey back daily to search. I deposited flyers in letterboxes, door-knocked, stopped strangers on the street, played detective tracking down people’s phone numbers but it seemed Trixie had gone truly AWOL.

The new owners had spotted her several times over the weekend so I borrowed a cat trap from the SPCA and phoned the neighbours to lock their wayward cat indoors but it turned up nothing – not even a possum.

Deciding to try one last time, on Wednesday night, like all the others, I lay awake fretting. As the rain lashed around outside I tried not to think of my beloved cat out there starving and bedraggled wondering why we’d upped and abandoned her and moved a dog into what was her home.

The next morning I checked my phone with bated breath. It was good news – they had our cat!

I’ve never got ready so fast in the morning in my life. We raced out there and were reunited with our slimmed down, but otherwise healthy-looking cat.

Trixie proceeded to tell us her story of the last six days all the way to her new home, which she thoroughly checked out before coming to rest in her favourite posi – Jayla’s pillow.

She hasn’t stopped purring since.

Home Sweet Home

Packing

It’s like a circus in the twins’ room after hours.

It’s my own fault - although they’re coming up four, I insist on still putting them down for a midday nap so I have an hour’s downtime during the day. But I pay for it, come night time.

Collapsing on the couch to unwind, the banging starts up through the wall, the whispering becomes louder until it’s full-on shouting and there’s laughing, lots of laughing. Yes they’re having a grand old time in there.

Finally I peel myself off the couch and, sure enough, their room is trashed through and through.

Putting one in the naughty corner doesn’t work at this time of night - any excuse to get up is a good one. But the one thing that does work, and it feels very cruel, is depositing the naughtiest one on the doorstep in the dark. They absolutely hate it and, although I only leave them there for around 30 seconds, it does the trick. They both shut up quick-smart after that.

The other night, however, the weather was particularly atrocious so I needed another punishment. With our impending move this week, I’d been procrastinating packing their room (procrastinating packing full-stop actually) because, amongst other stuff, there must be close to 100 pieces of paper each under their beds.

Under Jayla’s is her own work – she can easily churn out 30 pictures a day, which I try and ‘edit’ on my way to the recycling bin. But if I’m not quick enough, they get stashed in her “special place” under the bed.
Under Jai’s bed, due to his obsession with boats, is every kind of boat picture imaginable. Most of these are not drawn by himself but any poor unsuspecting victim who comes his way.

So when the yelling and yahooing reached fever pitch I had an idea. Reaching under Jai’s bed I pulled out a yacht picture. The artist had obviously gone to great lengths with the detail so I slid it back under and selected another – one of my own poor illustrations of a speed boat. I held it high in the air and dramatically tore it in two before reaching under Jayla’s bed and producing a picture of a person hovering in the air amongst hearts and kisses.

She looked crestfallen as I ripped it in half and, leaving the room, I felt decidedly mean. But, rounding the corner in the hall, the laughing re-started.

“Oh you think that’s funny do you?” I spun round and strode back in the room feeling like Hitler.

I tore up two more once-cherished but probably long-forgotten pictures before their eyes, making sure not to select one of my own which, I imagine, he probably wasn’t too fazed about.

Finally, after three pieces each of their artwork had been destroyed, they got the picture (excuse the pun) and fell silent.

That was six pictures down and about 96 to go – I was well on the way with the packing. I gave myself a pat on the back as I re-parked on the couch and tried not to think about the Tupperware container crammed full of cicada shells lurking in amongst the debris under Master Six’ bed.

The Rhyming Game

“My god he’s loud,” commented someone today for the umpteenth time regarding Master Three’s vocal abilities.

“Try living with it,” I replied for the umpteenth time.

His high-decibel garrulous nature was brought to our attention the moment he was born when the midwife made the comment: “My, he’s got a good set of pipes on him.”

It was true “Throw your baby out the window” material in the nights that followed. Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m sure we’ve all had those moments in the middle of the night when we’re rocking a screaming baby who just won’t settle, – it’s just that most of us don’t act on it.

His twin sister soon and miraculously learnt to sleep through it which was a blessing.

When he was a few months older I got his ears checked out – I mean, could he really be hearing himself? But his acoustics came back all clear. “No, he’s just got a good set of pipes on him,” I was, once again, told.

Wherever we are, he makes sure to attract attention our way, prompting the stranger in the supermarket to ask: “Who needs a foghorn?”

At kindy recently I was in the office and the twins didn’t know I was still there. At mat time all I could hear was Jai. I don’t know why I was surprised by this.

“Is he always like that?” I asked after the session.

“Yes,” the teachers replied unanimously, smiling.

I began apologising but they stopped me.

“Don’t be silly, that’s just Jai’s personality coming out. We wouldn’t dream of crushing his spirit.”

I later found this heartwarming story in his portfolio:

“Jai, I really enjoy the conversations we have. The other day I was reading “Who Sank The Boat”. I could tell that you were really engaged and waited in anticipation for what storyline the next page brought about. Was it the sheep, or the cow, or the donkey, or the pig or the mouse? I waited and peeked at the page while you waited to see who sank the boat. Then I declared that it was Jai who sank the boat! We had the usual Jai response – “Naaaah”, followed by that unique Jai laugh. This infectious laugh got everybody laughing. I love your sense of humour Jai. It’s contagious and you actually get the jokes. Our joking around continued today. Just because Jayla sat next to Layla  gave us enough reason to start rhyming words. Then it was Jai which rhymes with a pie and that was the beginning of exploring with words.

That afternoon I talked to your mum about our rhyming game Jai. Without thinking too much I suggested that you will have to tell me what rhymes with mum when you come to the kindergarten the next day. Your mum stated that it was obvious what rhymed with mum and your brother responded by saying ‘that’ rhyming word. I could tell that your whole family has been engaged in the silly old rhyming game! Your mum also came up with some more words that rhyme with Jai – bye and tie.

Jai, I’m looking forward to what you may come up with that rhymes with my name.”

-          Madhu, 11 June 2012

Jai tells me he wants to be a comedian when he grows up. Look out future comedy scene – there’s one loud comedian coming your way!