Charmer

One of the things I most like about the street where I live is that it is normal – neighbours chat, cats wander, and kids play out. One of the kids, a little boy who lives at the bottom of the street, is the cutest little munchkin I ever saw. The other evening, he and another boy were attempting a game of cricket in the middle of the road, itself a steep hill. Munchkin was bowling, but the ball escaped him and tumbled down the hill towards me. I put a foot out, stopped the ball, picked it up and handed it to him. ‘Thank you.’ he said with a smile, and then, with surprise, after a pause, ‘You have lovely shoes on today!’ I laughed and thanked him, tickled by the surprise in his voice as much as the compliment.

This evening, I come home to find a group of kids playing water fights with huge, brightly-coloured, plastic water pistols. Munchkin is among them, and as I approach he yells, ‘Watch out! There’s a lady coming!’ The lady smiles broadly as she passes them.