Shared Treats

Photograhy: Bonnie Johnson

Bonnie: The ant works its way
to the base of the bud.

Three and 1/2 year old Michael came over from next door.

“Grandma? Where are you hiding the candy now?

That was my cue to answer.

He doesn't realize I am hiding it from him to please his mother and father between meals.

“I will show you. Come over to this wicker box. Pull it out from under the glass table. Open the lid which has a hinge on it. Look inside. Here are the chocolate covered almonds that I got at Costco. Let us open them and take a look. You take as many as you like, put them in these wooden bowls beside you and eat what you would want.”

Photograhy: Bonnie Johnson

Bonnie: I am trying to capture the ant on the peony.

“Grandma? I don’t like to chew those nuts.”

Bonnie: The bloom is coveered with ants.

“O.K. But that is all I have for treats in my hidden treat stash, besides the pistachios, the valenine hearts and the chocolate covered raisins. Why don’t you just take the part of the candy that you don’t like and give it to Grandfather.”

Then I forget about him, because I have set him up in front of the T.V. with a glass of water, a napkin and his candy.

I don’t feel like I am subverting his parent's programme of getting their kids to eat healthy.

I have just come back from enjoying  early morning crepes with them, and I have see Michael eat two.

Kelvin says to me, “I am getting a lot of almonds that are sucked clean.”

"You will know how to deal with that."

Bonnie: Now I am satisfied with my amateur camera work.

I look over there and Kelvin is receiving yet another candy from Michael, sucked until only the white almond remains. 

Michael takes it over to Kelvin each time he is through with one.  Kelvin extends his hand, Michael drops the stickiness into Kelvin's hand, and  Michael returns back to his chair lest he miss too much T.V.

 Kelvin drops the nut in the garbage beside his chair.

Bonnie: Now the bloom looks
so beautiful to me.

I see that both of them need more napkins: Michael for the chocolate drooling down his chin, and Kelvin,  to wipe off the stickiness in his hand of the rejected nuts.

On occasion I turn from my own tasks and listen in on their conversations.

They are doing well and so am I.

Arta