The Bucket

The other day I came home from preschool with Henry and a friend.  As soon as I stopped, before I even put the car into park, those boys bounded from the car and disappeared into the back yard. 

The sky was periwinkle blue, and the temperature hovered in the high 60s.  I was sure the boys were headed to the yard to swing or bounce on the trampoline, so I headed into the kitchen to clean up some breakfast dishes. 

A few minutes later, the boys came in.  My attention turned from the pot I was scrubbing to them--I turned off the water and watched them take off their shoes.  I was surprised they were back so quickly. 

But then, with my back up against the sink as I contentedly watched these happy boys, I heard the following conversation, just a few feet in front of me:

Henry, with a smashingly coy glance my way:  "Nathan, we shouldn't tell Mom, should we?"

Nathan, with an incredulous look backward: "No Henry!  Don't tell your mom."

It was so funny, this conversation happening right in front of me, that there was no way I could be mad.  

I chuckled and said with a smile:  "Oh yes, Henry, you should always tell your mom everything."

Henry cocked his head sideways, fluttered his charming blue eyes, and shrugged his shoulder (see picture below), smiling and giggling a bit, "Yes Nathan, we should tell Mom."

Nathan, putting his hands up in frustration:  "No, Henry."

I smiled genuinely and purred at Henry, coaxing:  "What would you like to tell me, Henry?"

Henry must trust me a lot to have told me this, though he seemed quite unconcerned:  "We peed in a bucket."

Me, a little worried now.  For the record, I don't even like the word pee:  "You peed in a bucket?   Where?  In the garage?"

I could just picture a bucket of urine in the garage, waiting to be knocked over to make a yucky mess.

Henry laughed.  "No." 

He doesn't say this, but I imagine him thinking, "No, of course not, Mom.  We're smarter than that.  We wouldn't pee in the garage."

Henry: "On the other side of the house."  Smile.

Me, relieved that it's not in the garage, but curious now:  "Is the pee still in the bucket?"

Henry:  "Oh no, Mom, we dumped it out."  Of course.  Of course.

Here's the bucket.  Those responsible little boys dumped it out.  I wonder if the neighbor caught a glimpse of those tiny bare bottoms.