After I dropped Elijah off this morning, I hung around the school's parking lot, waiting for Elijah's best friend's parents to show up. We needed their car seat, because Regina is taking the boys to the zoo today after school. This prompted many important dialogues in the car today, such as:

"Is the red panda part of the raccoon family?"

"Yes."

"And the coati?"

"Yes."

"What else looks like a raccoon?"

"I don't know."

"Under our house there are raccoons, badgers, spiders, mountain lions, spiders, and lizards. Aren't there?"

"Probably not."

"What's under our house, then?"

"I don't know."

"Is Mexico far away from Los Angeles?"

"No."

"But it's under us! That's far away!"

"Elijah," I said. "If I took off for Mexico right now, I could be there by lunchtime."

"I don't want to go to Mexico today," he said.

Argh. In any case, after I dropped off the boy, I was leaning against the school's front gate, sunning myself, waiting. His friend's parents are not efficient morning people, which is one of the reasons I respect them. A mom with whom I sometimes aimiably converse walked past.

"Want a cigarette?" I asked, though I didn't actually have one, and never do.

She leaned in conspiratorially.

"I could use a cigarette and a drink right about now," she said.

It wasn't yet 9:30 AM.

"I don't have to drive the rest of the day," I said. "I just might..."

At that moment, another mom walked up. Introductions were made.

"We're going to Chinatown," said my mom-friend. "Did you know that you can get really cute kid's shoes there for ten dollars? At that place next to the seafood market."

I took this opportunity to complain, at length, about the high price of children's shoes. This didn't hold their attention for long. They headed off for their cars.

"Have fun getting your drink on at home by yourself," said my mom-friend.

"Wait," I said. "I don't..."

I wanted to explain I'm not a daytime drinker. I'm not even really a night drinker. But it was too late. Then my guy pulled into the lot, we made the car-seat exchange, and I was off toward home.

Now it's 10:45 AM. I'm home alone because Regina has taken the dogs to the vet to get their blood tested for kidney poisoning. The Silver Surfer calls me with her siren song. For some reason, that song sounds like "Bali Hai" from the musical South Pacific. The Dodgers game starts at 12:05 today. I fear that I will not be able to resist.

Posted by at 10:18 AM | Permalink