Shu

“He had a scar on his cheeks , right next to his right ear “ she said with high emotion. She was trying to keep her voice down but the excitement carried it to good loudness. I was walking by the room when I stopped and listened. 

“Yes and he was looking at me with one eye, the other eye was shut “This was from my son John. He was her constant companion in all indoor adventures. I placed my phone on the dining table and walked towards the duo. 

My daughter Lenna now continued with more animation 

“ That was an evil look he gave me, I think he was very dirty and unwashed” 

and both giggled in high excitement.

I was a bit disturbed and they both looked up and noticed me standing at the door. Before I could open my mouth Lenna spoke up 

“ Dad it’s non of your business, it’s our private conversation “. 

Lenna is 8 years old and John is 6. Lenna has been going alone to a tuition in the adjacent building. She always takes a walk across the street to the teachers flat. Two other kids also go to this teachers residence in the same batch. 

It was decided lately that John didn’t need extra tuition, since he seemed to be going at good speed with his academics. Lenna on the other hand is more like me, her interests are in art and craft, making drawings of doremon, the flying horses and the smiling cats etc etc. Before this they went together to a old teachers house at an hours drive from our house. 

The two are inseparable, both in times of war and peace. If they are fighting and either me or my wife tries to intervene, they immediately reunite and then the fight is against the intervenor. If one of them is away for long for tuition or abacus and they meet up in the evening it’s fun to see them play together and catch up on the news etc. 

So now I came closer , obviously I was curious to understand the situation and figure out what it was about. Lenna put her hand up “stop in the name of the law” she said. This was standard dialog for several things. Anyhow I was in no mood to back off. I said 

“Did you see someone on the road on the way back from tuition”. 

John looked at me and said 

“We are taking about shoe. “

I realized it must have been about some old shoe lying outside the door. Well my curiosity was satiated now. We had an extra shoe rack outside the flat. I thought the situation was funny. 

In the evening I related this on the dinning table and everyone laughed. John then spelled out shoe. 

He said “s..h...u.  Shu !” 

I quickly asked him if he was sure the spelling was right. 

Lenna replied for John 

“ Dad shu is the character in bay blade , he lost a fight with the villain and he joined the villains team “. 

Now I was laughing again , that’s life with my kids .