A Cold, A Date, A Lack of Sleep

We have been in the middle of a heat wave here on west Kauai. Somehow in between the sweating, the ice dripping, the dreaming of snow and the drinking of water a nasty cold has struck Little Chum and his Momma and Poppa. We (the Momma and Poppa) went out tonight for our THIRD date of the past 9 months....to a function at my work. It was over the top beautiful, the Garden lit up in the dark, people gusssied up, tango under a full mango moon...but we sniffled in the corner clutching a cup of champagne in one hand and a mug of peppermint tea in the other. The clock struck nine and we looked at each other, "Want to go?" "Only if you do." "I'm exhausted, let's go." "Thank God."

Part of our lameness is a direct result of Chum's insistence on waking between the hours of 2 and 5. Why he does this seems mixed up in theories ranging from separation anxiety, to left over birth trauma to demonic possession. For my part, I know that the other night I had a sinus headache, was singing a lullaby, Chum was imitating a prisoner being drawn and quartered from his crib and next thing I know I was convinced I had entered Dante's Inferno. Blazed past the babies in purgatory, the thieves and murders and headed straight to the inner sanctum where Judas and maybe Brutus were hanging out playing cards. I was in agony.

Then somehow it was dawn. The sky was a light gray. The roosters were greeting each other joyfully. And Chum sat up in his crib with an extra wide smile looking like he'd just gotten back from an all-inclusive resort stay in Baja and suddenly...all was forgiven.