Late one evening I was lying in my bed, covered up to my neck with my cozy comforter - just watching TV.
I had not been feeling well for several days.
Alexis was so nice to bring home the stomach bug from her first grade classroom - to share with the entire family.
Little Billy, also having been sick for a few days, wandered into my room and crawled into my bed with me.
We cuddled.
He persuaded his ol' Mom to rub his back - something he loves.
After becoming completely relaxed, the boy says to his mom, "Ya know ... how when you have a new car ... and it has a brand new engine?"
The mom says, "Yes," imagining in her mind the shiny new engine - sparkly chrome and pistons and clean new fluids.
The relaxed little boy then says, "And then, ya know ... how you might have a really old car - with a worn out engine?'
Rubbing the boy's back, the mom says, "Yes," now imagining a rusty old engine in a broken down car - in a junk yard.
"That's what we're like," the boy looks up at his mom and smiles. "I'm like a shiny new engine and you're like a rusty old engine."
(*blink blink*)
The mom stops rubbing the boy's back, gets a sad look on her face and says, "Okay."
The boy - seeing the sadness on his poor old mother's face, rubs his smooth little hand down her crusty arm and says, "I mean ... it's just like you're kinda outta gas - not really old and rusty," he begins to back-pedal really fast and continues, "And ... I'm like a newer engine - just a little bit outta gas."
The mom smiles.
The boy smiles.
"Can you rub my back some more," the boy pleads.
The rickety old mother - who is completely out of gas, by the way - pulls her rusty old arm out from beneath her cozy comforter and ... begins to rub the boy's back once again .... all the while imagining ... as she rubs his soft, smooth skin - a nice shiny paint job - Candy Apple Red. Yes ... the boy would definitely be Candy Apple Red.
On the upside ... That boy is definitely his father's son. Such a smooth talker! Not saying anything all that lov-e-ly, but ... boy can he back pedal when he begins to dig himself in deep!