Two stories

I was listening to the news last night while at the table with Kadin. A story came on about Putin’s recently reinstated military parades in Red Square.

Kadin’s ears perked up and he said, “Red Square, I know Red Square.” Such outbursts are not unusual for him, he really does pay attention.

“Oh, so you know Red Square from Civilization or Age of Empires?” I ask, because he has regular conversations about Admiral Yi Soon-shin, his Turtle Ships, and such.

“Actually,” he says, “I know it from school.”

“You talked about Red Square in school?”

“It’s one of the centers.”

One of the centers, I think. Oh yes, the four tables where the kindergarteners divide into small groups and do activities: Blue Circle, Orange Triangle, Green Rectangle, and Red Square. There it is, right in the middle of the kindergarten classroom, a famous communist center. Has anyone ever made that connection?

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Rees has been forgetting to bring home his homework of late. So we have been working on ways to remember.

After school I say, “Do you know what I am going to ask you?”

“Yes, I remembered it,” he says, “I have my homework.”

“Homework: don’t leave school without it, that’s your motto,” I say.

“No,” Rees says, “My motto is: Why walk if you can run?”

Too true.