"I'll make a man! Out of you!!!!"

 Storytime!
    Today I had a long string of ignored texts from the pharmacy, informing me that our various prescriptions were all ready for pickup. It was nearly time to go pick up RJ from school, so I decided to stop at the pharmacy on the way. MP insisted on coming with me, because she is finally over her cough and still on strike for her online 6th grade classwork, and bored out of her mind. That meant I had to bribe Liko out of the bathtub, where she was happily practicing singing underwater. She proudly informed me that she could laugh underwater, so I never needed to worry about her drowning, and thus she would be perfectly FINE if I left her at home alone, in the bathtub, MOTHER!!
    This was not as reassuring as she thought.
    "Cake pop, Liko! Get out of the tub, come with us, and you'll get a cake pop!"

    Geriatric motherhood means bribery.

    She emerged, slightly mollified, like a queen dowager. I pulled a dress over her wet body and MP bullied her into the car.
    First stop: Starbucks for the aforementioned greasy-palm cakepop, and pumpkin cold brew for MP and an oat milk chai latte for me, because free drinks! (And because Starbucks has my number. I will 100% do ridiculous things for imaginary points and occasional free coffee.)
    Then, drinks in hand, Maile DJ-ing the kpop on her playlist on the car speakers, we went to the pharmacy. The tech listed the prescriptions, and then said, and here's the needles, the sharps disposal, and the dosage--
*record scratch*
    Wait, what??
    RJ's first doses of T came through.
    Just yesterday it still hadn't been approved, but today, there it is, IN HAND.
    I thought it would be at least till January, since insurance and doctors and letters and who knows what all else-- but VOILA.
    I checked my heart. Calm. A tiny inner shrug of, Kahlil Gibran's peom:

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said

"Speak to us of children"

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself

They come through you but not from you

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you

For they have their own thoughts

You may house their bodies but not their souls

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow

You may strive to be like them

But seek not to make them like you

For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday

As living arrows are sent forth

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite

And he bends you with his might

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness

For even as he loves the arrow that flies

So he loves also the bow that is stable

    So, T in hand, we went to go pick him up from school. We were a little late, and it's a friday, so most of the other kids had cleared out, and he was waiting in his usual spot in the parking lot, tall, dressed in black, his bangs long and hiding his beautiful face as he looked at his phone.

    As we got close, MP pressed play on the song she had cued, and I rolled down the windows and cranked up the music.

Dramatic Drum Intro

LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND DEFEAT THE HUNS!!

He looked up, quizzical, and recognized the song. I held up the bag from the pharmacy at him, and he suddenly GOT IT

AND DEFEAT

THE HUNS

He started cracking up laughing, nearly bent double as he came towards the car, and all of us inside were cackling and singing along:

Mister, I'll make a man out of you!!!

Tranquil as a forest But on fire within Once you find your center You are sure to win!!
But on fire within
Once you find your center
You are sure to win!!

We were all smiling so hard our guts hurt, and he climbed into the car, laughing, "That was awesome, that was awesome!!"

And he gripped the bag all the way home, and flashed little heart fingers at me through the window when I picked up spicy wantons and tomato oxtail soup from our favorite Chinese place.

I love that kid, so much.

Next week is thanksgiving. We've given up on turkey, and we're planning on celebrating by having only exactly what we want.

Happy T day!!!