There are those friends we make when we are young that will
forever be our friend. Sometimes we meet someone that is a friend for a while
and then our lives take separate paths. However our friendships come about, there
are some stories of friendship that will forever be a part of our memories.
Eliza has made a friend that brings a smile to my face every
time I think about him.
A couple weeks ago as Brian was putting Eliza to bed they
were going about their usual routine of storytelling. Usually Brian just tells
Eliza some story and then tucks her in, but this was a special night. Brian
insisted that Eliza be the one to tell the story. So she told him this elaborate
story about being a princess and her prince “Japs”. Brian found the story so
funny that he told me about it and about how Eliza was convinced that prince
Japs was a real boy in her school. We just laughed it off.
Multiple times over
the next few weeks Eliza would tell us stories about playing with prince Japs
at school. I couldn’t believe her imagination!
Then the day came. The day that I will not forget for a long
time!
I was going with Eliza on a field trip to the pumpkin patch.
We loaded the bus and waited. What I didn’t realize was that
another class would be coming on this field trip with us. As that class filed
out of the school to load the bus Eliza immediately started screaming “It’s
Japs! It’s Japs! Look mom there’s Japs.”
At this time I started thinking that she had a really good
imagination and this make-believe friend must be going on the field trip with
us. So I attempted to shush her as she continued to yell about her friend Japs.
Soon a little boy walked up and asked me to move so he could
sit next to Eliza. He was very polite and I thought for just a second that
maybe Japs was real.
As he buckled in I leaned forward and said, “Hi, I’m Eliza’s
mom. What’s your name?”
“Hi, I’m Japs.”
I had about a million thoughts in that single second. Then I
thought I must have heard him wrong. “What did you say your name was?”
“Dax, D-A-X.”
I know exactly where Eliza was getting the name “Japs” now.
I found it absolutely hysterical.
Before I had a chance to chuckle Dax turned around and very
politely said “Excuse me, Eliza’s mom?”
“Yes Dax?”
“I’m going to marry your daughter one day.”
He continued by saying that he had discussed it with his
parents and that the girl he was previously going to marry wasn’t as good as
Eliza. I just laughed and said we’d have to talk to Eliza’s daddy. I think I
was still surprised that Japs was a real person and that he wasn’t Asian.
Since then we’ve found out that Dax lives just down the
street from us. I haven’t decided if I should tell him the little boy a few
doors down, that pees in my front yard, might put up a fight for his future wife.
Instead I just laugh every time Eliza mentions her friend "Japs". (She calls him Dax now.)
