Normal Or Not

A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn't act that way very often. ~Author Unknown

Mervin was extraordinarily sweet last evening. He didn’t make a fuss when I stopped him from eating too much ice-cream. He complied with my every request obligingly. He was polite to a T.

With that bizarre behaviour, I could jolly well guess that something was brewing in that little mind of his. I enjoyed the momentarily bliss he endowed me and watched with amusement as he knitted his brows and rolled his eyes, trying to figure out when and how to pose the question.

The moment we stepped into the house, he couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Mummy, can I go to my friend’s house for dinner on Friday?” he blurted.

So that was his motive.

“Let me consider,” I replied.

For the rest of last night and this morning, he continued to put on his best behaviour.

“Would you like some bread?” he had asked me this morning.

When I asked him to do his assessment, he responded with an amiable “sure!”

After finishing his work, he asked again, “Mummy, can I go this Friday?”

I waited a beat before answered, “I think it’ll be better if you are to go to his house during Hari Raya.”

“Why?” he was a little frustrated to see his efforts being washed down the drain.

“Your friend is fasting right now. If you are to go to his house on Friday, you might be imposing on him and his family,” I tried to reason with him.

“But he told me that he always had his dinner once he reaches home, even during the Puasa period,” he argued.

“What about the rest of his family? I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” I stood firm.

“We’ll just have dinner then play Xbox. Please, mummy, I really want to go,” he pleaded.

“You can go at Hari Raya,” I insisted.

He dashed to the calendar and look at the date.

“What? Hari Raya is still such a long way to go! I don’t want to wait that long!” he’s really unhappy.

“You can either wait till Hari Raya or after your exam,” I refused to give in. “Actually, if you go after exam, you’ll have more time to enjoy yourselves.”

He didn’t think that was a good alternative since examination is held after Hari Raya. Without another word, he stormed off the kitchen.

“Go and have your shower,” I shouted behind him.

He grunted consent but stayed in his room for the next half an hour.

He’s become normal again.