The little guy was so curious. “Awesome.” She plucked a few stems of clover and showed him how to link them together into a chain.
“My mom used to let us run around like crazy hooligans right after school or library days,” Natalie told him. “We had a playground close to our house, though, instead of this park or the beach.”
Bryce frowned. “What’s a hooligan?”
“Someone who only knows how to have a good time and never worries about schoolwork or anything else. Hooligans are super fun at parties, but not responsible enough to do the work for good grades.”
He giggled, watching closely as she tied the first chain of clover around her ankle. “You’re going so fast,” she observed.
“It’s too big.” He looked from his chain to hers, clearly worried.
“Not if it’s a necklace.”
The worry disappeared and he kept going. “How come you’re not working?” he asked.
“I tried,” she replied. “It just didn’t go well and I needed a change.”
“Oh.” He held up his chain and decided it was long enough. After she showed him how to close the chain, he dropped it over his head and started on a new chain. “I got in trouble today,” he admitted.
“Want to talk about it?”
He sighed. “That’s what got me in trouble. I was helping a friend and the teacher said I was too loud for the library.”
“Oh that’s tough,” Natalie sympathized.
He popped to his feet, planting his hands on his hips. “I was helping my friendread. We were taking turns, but the library teacher thought we were just talking. I told her but she didn’t care.”
“It’s frustrating when people don’t understand.”
“Yes.” He stomped his foot. Then sheepishly looked at Sharon. “I don’t like feeling mad.”
“It’s not a comfortable feeling,” Natalie volunteered. “I always feel prickly.”
Bryce considered that information. “I wanted to say mean things.”
“But did you?”
“Not to her face. Only to Aunt Sharon when I got in the car.” Another glance for his aunt. “She didn’t get mad at me, but I didn’t feel better. I didn’t even feel better after a snack. And even though I didn’t get a smiley face for good behavior today, she brought me out here.”
“Well I’m glad. It’s always nice to see you.”
“Even though I’m grumpy?”
“Even though,” she assured him. “Everybody gets grumpy sometimes.”
He frowned again. “You always look happy.”
This kid was too adorable. “Thank you, Bryce. You want to know a secret? I was kind of grumpy when I came out here today.”
“About what?”
“Silly grown-up stuff.”
“I thought grown up stuff was serious.”
She leaned close. “Want to know another secret?”
He bobbed his chin up and down. “Sometimes as grown-ups we take ourselves too seriously. Now, you can’t go around telling people that. It’s just something to keep in here.” She tapped afinger to her temple. “Be super happy that you’re a kid and you don’t have to think about serious stuff right now.”
