RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32539, 24 February 1971, Page 21

RANDOM REMINDER

REPARTEE Women seldom seem to understand the ways of men. Just before Christmas, some of the secondary schoolboys were home, but those of primary school age were still at their studies. So in the home of some friends of ours in the country, there was a boy of 15, just finished his school certificate examinations and resting from his labours; two more away at primary school and a girl of four. The man of the house was scheduled to come to Christchurch next day for a sports gathering organised each year by his firm—bowls, and cricket and tennis and sundry allied occupations. So the lady of the house had the

bright idea of suggesting to the 15-year-old that he might be able to go too, to keep the score-book for the cricket match. Elated at the prospect, the boy asked his father that evening if he could go. Regretfully, father said no: it was for members of the firm only and that was that. Another clanger from mother. On the other hand, father said, the boy could look after the little girl while mother went to town to do some Christmas shopping. Boys of 15 seldom have much negotiating power, and he agreed. Later in the evening some minor difference of opinion apparently arose between the boy and

his little sister. And he was heard to declare that he didn’t know what she was pulling faces at him for, and that he should be pulling them at her, because he had to stay home next day to look after her. So if readers wondered what was going on if they saw a youngish, attractive, slight girl (she put question marks after the adjectives when she wrote) laden with Christmas parcels and grinning foolishly, it was Mother. Who felt slightly weak inside, with suppressed merriment, at the persistent thought that her oldest and youngest were at home, spending the day pulling faces at each other.