Spring break?
Family… can’t live with them and can’t do without them either. The spring school holidays started today and my 13 year old hormonal nephew (He who showers with shampoo) asked whether he can come and stay with me for the next ten days. Grooan!!!!! Don’t get me wrong I love the kid and he makes me laugh all the time, but I don’t know if I am up to the responsibility and the whole “loving uncle” routine. My sister is only to glad to have him out of the way and she’s been phoning me almost daily to ask when I am coming to fetch him. I reckon she just do not know what to do with him and the thought of him at home for all hours while she is at work, terrifies the hell out of her. He's a lot like me, and if I were her, I would take out insurance on all my belongings and my life for that matter. The other day, and she still has not recovered from the shock, she came home with a workmate and found "Mister” watching TV in the lounge… practically nude and with nothing but a towel around his waist… with the girl from next door. She was fully clothed, thank God. Yep, apparently he had a shower and she came to visit just as he came out of the shower. He didn’t want to leave her alone by herself so he stayed with her instead. Hey, hey, hey… it is plausible! I don’t want to think the worst of the kid. These things happen on TV all the time. Why just the other night there was this show on TV where… uhm... nope, that did not happen. We are having fairly hot weather up in JHB, their aircon is on the blink and the swimming pool is not ready for swimming. So when you feel hot, you take a shower and when a friend comes by to visit, you wrap a towel around your waist and watch TV with them. Yeah, that bit is new to me too. I would have preferred if he had gone and put some clothes on, but what the heck, it is not like he planned it. Shame on his mother for coming home early and the girl for visting, unannounced! According to my sister, he was completely unfazed (He's either innocent or the kid has nerves of steel!) about the arrival of her and the workmate. He merely got up and walked to his room, leaving the girl friend with his mother. He got dressed and came back a short while later and swears that nothing out of the ordinary had happened! My response was, “What you expected the kid to do, continue to watch TV and pretend his mother is not around? At least he's not walking around in the backyard exposing himself to the neighbours (something my mates and I did do once... long ago) " I could see her brain going into overdrive at that thought and then she accused me of not taking the matter seriously. I may mention that my sister tends to overreact a tad and may at times behave like a drama queen. The workmate thought it was hilarious. Good on her! I suspect though my sister may be looking for another job. She has issues with being embarrassed. Of course she blames this entire episode on me and swears by my deceased grandmother that his behavior is typical of me when I was a teenager. (Huh... how did that happen?). Funnily, I don’t ever remember prancing around in a towel when my friends came over to visit. Talk about getting the facts wrong. Now she wants me to take him for the next ten days and talk some sense into his head. She reckons since I “caused it”, I need to fix it. Grrrrrr!!! Can you see what I am up against? I also mentioned that perhaps all she needs to do is put her foot down and lay down the rules, but she reckons a man’s influence is what is needed. And I am THAT man, it seems. She’s divorced and the husband has little or no contact with the kids. I still think he is merely pushing his boundaries and his behaviour, although a bit odd (ok, very odd), is nothing to worry about. Jirre… I don’t know whether to laugh or jump off a bridge. A teenage boy whose brain and common sense seems to be on the blink, in my care. In spite of my better judgment, I have agreed to let him stay over. Now I have to hide the shampoo and move the TV into his room.
