Doe Eyes

who could say no to this face?

"Spring" Break 2013: It was so cold last week in Philly we had to organize our errands around trips to the hot chocolate store (what my kids call coffee shops).

We went to a shop I'd never been to before. Since leaving Media, my hometown (and yours, apparently - the town motto is "Everybody's Hometown" so there you have it), it has become quite the cool place. From what I understand, Seven Stones is but one of several places to drink hot chocolate. When I was growing up, the only place I knew to go was Dunkin Donuts, and they didn't do or did the whipping cream there.

We entered Seven Stones, my mother placed the order, and we found a round table. Anna Rose came up with a game called "Score" which involved a stone she had picked up from somewhere and a curled up arch of a receipt. Think finger-soccer and you'll get the picture.

We played until our hot chocolates arrived. The children drank theirs with vigor. (The barista had their drinks temperatured just right.) Anna Rose was making vacuum cleaner noises with her straw and Dave Dave was wiping whipping cream from his top lip when I heard from his mouth a phrase I had never heard before.

"I want to talk to her."

I followed his line of sight to a doey-eyed brunette the age of three. Perhaps it was the velocity of sugar intake that created such boldness. I'd never seen him so determined.

"Go for it," I said.

Dave Dave hopped down from his chair. He walked halfway up to her.

As it happened, her mother was bussing their mid-morning snack in the trash bin across the room. Doe Eyes was standing alone, innocent as can be.

He loaded at her. She looked at him.

"How you doing?" my son said. (I'm not making this up)

Doe Eyes replied, "Get out of my way!" And brushing poor Dave Dave aside, she brusquely walked passed her mother (horrified) and out the door.

no bumpers in life

Man! Philly girls are tough.

Or maybe I'm wrong. As my friend Drew said - "That's how most marriages start in Philly."

All I gots to say is Doe Eyes didn't know what she was missing.