A Play Date

Toby

I zoomed through down the road in Mummy’s car. She was driving of course, so don’t get the wrong idea. 

My name is Toby, and I’m five and one quarter years old, I can’t drive, for your information. I’m on my way to see my mummy’s friend. 

I never look forward to these moments, especially when Mummy’s friend has a little girl my age. It’s pure torture! 

One time, when Mummy’s friend had a little girl… oh! It hurts to remember! 

The girl had walked straight up to me and started to talk as if we were long lost friends. She never stopped talking after that. She bored me to death. 

But, why tell you this now?

Well, it so happens that the friend we’re visiting now has a little girl my age as well, I’m shaking at the thought! 

Sandra

Mam made me clean the house today. 

I hate cleaning the house. Mam always tells me that if we don’t do the work, then nobody will. I don’t think that’s true. 

Sometimes, I think I hear the soft laughter of the fairies around the corner. 

I like to think the fairies clean for us. Of cause, they never get the chance because Mam always does the cleaning. 

Boys don’t believe in fairies. That’s why whenever Mam has a friend over with a little boy my age, I always want to cry and hide under my bed. 

That’s why we’re cleaning today. Mam’s friend is coming over… and she has a son! Boys are strange creatures. All they care about are monsters and ghosts and things that I don’t think exist. 

Why don’t boys like fairies? I asked this to Mam once, and she shouted at me for Pete’s sake not to ask her any more questions. 

I ask questions a lot. Mam seems to think that’s a bad thing, but I think it’s just being curious. 

“Sandra!” I hear Mam call from downstairs. “They’re here!” I groan and shout back, “Coming Mam!”

Toby

As we arrived at the door to Mummy’s friend’s place, I breathed in a breath of fresh air. 

The last peaceful breath I would get for a while. “Be good Toby,” I heard Mummy whisper in my ear. “Yes Mummy.” 

I sighed for the millionth time that day. Mummy looked at me and sighed too. 

“Look, Toby. I know you don’t like it when you’ve got to meet little girls, but think of it as a date.” 

I jumped away from Mummy as if she might bite. A date? A date was something grownups did when they wanted to get married. I only knew about it because a friend at school had told me. 

Mummy laughed at my expression. “Not that sort of date Toby! A play date. You know, when you play together?” 

I still wasn’t convinced. Nevertheless, when mummy’s friend opened the door, I followed her inside. 

Some of Mummy’s friends in the past had been worse than Mrs Boer. 

I remember one occasion…

It was Mummy’s friend, Mrs Reindoor, yes, sort of like reindeer, of cause without the ‘e’s,’ and with ‘o’s’ instead. 

Mrs Reindoor was a nice-ish lady, and I’m sure her daughter meant to be nice as well. She wasn’t though, and while I won’t go into lengthy detail because that’s boring, (I know that from listening to Mummy talking to her friends on her phone), I went home with tears rolling down my cheeks. 

Sandra

I saw the boy standing in the corridor with his Mam, I don’t think he calls her Mam like I call my mother Mam, but at this point in time I really can’t be sure of anything. 

He looks nice enough though, so I can’t help wondering if he will be. 

Mam pushes me forward, a cue that means I need to introduce myself. “Remember, make it short,” I hear Mam whisper behind me. 

Generally I can drone on and on about myself, mainly because I’m scared of what the boy will say if I stop talking. This time I try to stick to the important details. 

“Hi! My name’s Sandra and I’m four and three quarter years old- almost five.” Mam is forever telling me to cut the ‘three quarter years old’ bit, but I think it’s a crucial detail. Besides, I’m a big girl now, Daddy always says so. I notice the boy’s Mam nudges him forward to. 

What is with Mothers and nudging? “Hi Sandra, I’m Toby. I’m five and a quarter years old.” 

See! I’m not the only one who cares about being precise when it comes to how old you are! 

Whenever I ask Mam how old she is, she always says she’s twenty-one, and I believed her at first, but she’s been saying that for the past two and two quarter years! 

I think it’s just a dream of hers to be twenty-one. 

I extend my hand and Toby shakes it. I have a feeling we’re going to get on fine.

Toby

I reach out and shake Sandra’s hand. She seems somehow different from the other girls I’ve meet. She smiles at me, and I smile back. 

The typical five year old thing. 

I don’t know what typical means, but it’s a word I heard Mummy say once, and I like the sound of it. 

Typical sounds like a smart word. ‘A smart word for a smart boy,’ Mummy tells me. “Now, how about you two go upstairs and play?” Sandra’s Mummy says. 

“Okay Mam!” says Sandra, “Okay Mrs Boer!” I say. 

Sandra

Toby and I raced to the stop of the stairs. I won of cause, I’ve been in this house all my life. Toby enters my room and looks around in amazement. “You believe in fairies too?” he asked. 

He was referring to the pictures of fairies I’d drawn, they covered my walls until the wallpaper couldn’t be seen. 

I was surprised by Toby’s comment. Of cause I believed in fairies! But I’d always thought boys were different… “Yeah, I believe in fairies, do you?” He nods, and I grin. 

“You’re not like all the other boys I’ve met,” I say. Toby replies, “You’re not like the other girls I’ve met.” He hesitated. “Do you think we could maybe be friends?” he asked. 

I nodded, smiling. Then we both started to giggle. We stayed in my room and played for a few hours. 

We pretend to be Princesses and Princes, and Toby thought me a game called ‘I dare you.’ I dared Toby to pretend to be dead for two whole minutes.

He did such a good job I actually thought he was dead! All too soon, I heard Mam calling us from downstairs. 

“Sandra, Toby and his Mam are leaving now sweetie, come downstairs like a good girl please.”

Toby

Mummy and I stood in the door way of Sandra’s house. 

I was sad to go, not yet ready to zoom home again in Mummy’s car. Sandra wiped a tear from her eye, and I almost felt like crying too. 

“Mrs Boer,” I said, “can I have a play date with Sandra again some time?” Mrs Boer looked surprised, but pleased. “Of cause Toby! I’ve been trying to find Sandra a good play mate. You see, she fills her head with such stuff and nonsense, that nobody wants to be friends with her. She even believes in fairies! Imagine-” I cut her of. 

“It’s not nonsense Mrs Boer, it’s real! Surely you must have some imagination?”

I looked at Mrs Boer with such concern, she almost looked like she was going to cry herself. I couldn’t even begin to imagine living without an imagination. 

Mrs Boer laughed nervously. “Well, I suppose an imagination can grow! Sandra would be glad to have you as a play mate!” 

I gave Sandra one last hug as Mrs Boer closed the door. I could hear her muttering, “Fairies indeed!” 

I rolled my eyes. 

Sandra

As soon as Mam closed the door, I felt a little alone. 

I was surprised I actually enjoyed my play date, and even more surprised I’d finally found a friend. 

“I guess little boys aren’t always what they seem to be,” I said to Mam. She turned to me with raised eyebrows. 

Mam never understands what I mean. 

I rolled my eyes and went into my room to play ‘I dare you,’ with my fairy dolls. 

I looked forward to seeing Toby again someday.

Toby

I was quite in thought on the ride home. 

Sandra wasn’t at all like I’d expected her to be. She was actually nice. I was surprised at how the play date turned out. 

“Mummy,” I said, “It’s funny how little girls aren’t always what they seem to be, isn’t it?” Mummy smiled awkwardly. 

Mummy never understands. 

I smiled to myself and pretended to play Princes and Princesses with my window friend. I looked forward to seeing Sandra again soon.