Car Conversations Redux

"So how was school today Zack?"

"Fine."

"Um...so what did you do? Learn anything new?"

"No."

"But, what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Really?"

"Nothing."

"You did nothing in school?"

"Yes Daddy, I did nothing."

"You didn't learn anything new? You didn't do anything - all day?"

"I did abser-lutly nothing. All day." Big expansive hand gestures glimpsed in the rear-view mirror.

"Really?"

"I sat around ALL DAY AND DID NOTHING. I didn't even eat lunch or even go to the bathroom. I did nothing! Nothing all day! NOTHING! NAAAHHH-FFFFING! NAAAHHH-FFFFING! "

I pulled the car over to the curb.

A curious voice piped up from the back seat. "Why are we stopping Daddy?"

'We aren't stopping, we're turning around and headed back to the school."

'Why?" came the now slightly alarmed plaintive question.

"I'm going to have to talk to your teacher. I can't believe you sat around all day and didn't do anything or learn anything. I'm going to have a few choice words for her, I tell you !"

"No Daddy!"

"I might even yell at her a bit", I continued, trying to keep as straight a face as possible, aided by the fact that he was strapped into the back seat and unable to see my face.

'Um....Daddy?"

"Yes Zack?"

"Um...I was just joking you know. I did learn stuff...lots of stuff!"

"Really? You sure."

"I'm sure.", came a emphatic voice.

"Oh, okay then, I guess I don't need to talk to her after all. So what did you do today? Learn anything new?"

"Oh I practiced my cursive writing, and the number game and some pokeys and I colored some maps and I got a new reader and...." And so it continued, all the way home.

I'm sure any drivers passing probably wondered why I was grinning from ear to ear.

Comments are always welcome. Links too, are always nice. You can reach me at dadchronicles(at)hotmail.com.