Traffic Thoughts

 “ That’s not mess, Mommy. That’s traffic in the Philipines.”

           -    Stefan, of his bedside, when I asked him to tidy up his mess.

 

It’s been a week, and he has never tidied his bedside table.  He would go to his bedside, play with the cars, and make stories of who is driving each vehicle -- Uncle Beau, Auntie Sarah, Uncle Simon, Auntie Jen, etc.… he mentions them repeatedly all through out the day.

 

The first 2 days after we came back were harder on him.  He’d cry endlessly saying he misses everyone.  We would all be awake at wee hours of the morning – thanks to jetlag – and he would insist to call the Philippines and talk to his grandparents, aunts and uncles.  He’ll hug his Lightning McQueen stuffed toy tearfully and say everybody’s in the car with him.  “Oh, I miss everyone, “ he’d say with pouty lips.

 

When we ordered in food that evening when we arrived, he ran down so quickly to the door when the doorbell rang.  He asked if it was the people in the Philippines.  Disappointed, he went on to play Wii and told us that if the doorbell rings again, he’ll stop in the middle of the game to open the door for the people back home.

 

The calendar in our kitchen, which has been left at March when we came back from our trip, he said to leave as is – March – so we can go back to the Philippines all over again, go to Taiwan, then Tagaytay, Fontana,… and the same old story goes.  On second thought, he said, January and February would be fine too, as March would be after them.

 

Our vacation may be over, but we are left with good memories to recollect over and over until we make new memories again.