a friend with a toy is a friend indeed!

This evening, Sonny boy had gone downstairs to play. Last when I looked, he and our neighbour's A5, a 5 yr old, were busy at work in the sandpit, getting the trains to transport sand. Very industrious indeed. Ok. Satisfied, the Amma went back to her presentations and mails.

An hour later, the bell rang. A disgruntled Sonny boy stood out. He brushed past me in a huff, and on my asking him what happened, this is what he had to say

"Amma..... that A5! I was allowing him to play with my trains like a good boy, but he broke it!" And he looked at me, eyebrows together, a flush on his face from the emotions whirling inside.

Said train is a measly looking Ben10 train that we bought when we'd gone to Tirupati last year. A cheap eyesore, frankly speaking, compared to the Thomases and Percies and Ferguses... But then, he loved trains! And that particular train was a BEN10 TRAIN! It was an enormous loss to Sonny boy.

I tried to bring some sympathy into my tone, and told him,
"Never mind, you had fun playing with it, didn't you? It was anyway a little old. You go down and play again with A5, with something else."

But no.
Sonny boy was UPSET.
He started playing with his Superman jigsaw and his Thomas set. (he can rarely play with just ONE toy at a time)

Some 10 minutes later, there was a thud, then a dragging sound, then a slow but insistent knocking on the door.Sonny boy looked at me and I looked at him. Both of us knew who that could be. I let Sonny boy decide.

Sonny boy went to the door and opened it.
Little A5 stood there, bright blue cricket bat in hand. Looking determinedly at Sonny boy's chest, he said, "why you not openin the door for me?"
A not-sure-how-to-react Sonny boy stood to one side and let him enter. And then followed him, saying, "A5, I was angry with you for breaking my train..." (A5 was nonchalantly walking towards Sonny boy's train set on the floor...)"but now my anger is gone."
And both of them ventured happily forward.

Half an hour later, again, quarrels broke out.
A5 wanted Sonny boy to play with one toy and Sonny boy wanted A5 to play with a different toy.
An aggrieved A5 went to stomp out of the house.
Sonny boy was only too happy to see him go.
On his way out, A5 picked up a Ben10 phone saying that he didn't have one and he was taking it.
Sonny boy almost in tears stormed to the door, opened it and took A5's arm and ushered him out of the house!
I intervened, and separated the two, saying that that was no way to behave.
An offended A5 stalked out, stating, "You a bad Sonny boy!"

5 minutes later,
"Amma, A5 left his bat here. Can I go to his house to return his bat???"
Smiling, I said Ok.
Unfortunately A5 was not at home, so the day's entertaining drama ended there.