Right, it’s now 5:30 Wednesday evening and I am waiting at the door to pick up Thayer (early pick-up is not allowed). I walk through the foyer, remembering to drop off the preferred dates for the summer, then through the windows of the main indoor space, I see Thayer running around and looking happy. He yells when he sees me, runs to give me a hug, ans I ask him how his day was. Très bien, Maman! He responds. I ask Karima, one of the staff members, if this is true. Oui, Madame, she confirms. I am pleased. We track down his backpack, teddy bear, and change of clothes (for some reason , they have been pulled from their plastic bag, but all right), and then Karima asks if Thayer had gone to school there last year. Apparently, his name came up in the Centre database. I explain that we have come and gone a few times. She seems cool with that.
Thayer tells me that he ran out of the building and into the street to look for me after I’d left. This does not please me. Then he tells me that he won a bon-bon because he played telephone so well. What was the sentence, I ask him? “Mon papa a une voiture rouge,” he replies, in French. I am amazed. With 20 minutes left to pick up Meredith, we head to the post office to buy stamps. He tells me that he had salad and fish and couscous for lunch, “mais pas d’olives. I said it in French, Mommy!” And he had a raspberry cake and applesauce for snack. And he played with Tristan and Isabelle. It all sounds good. And did he mention there was a parade thet went right in front of our apartment and he showed everyone where we live? Encore mieux! (even better!)
The doors to Meredith’s centre are open when we arrive. The front-desk guy is putting away his computer. He mentions that Meredith had a great day, but asked if we could pick her up right at 5:30. I mention that I cannot be in 2 places at once. He says I should enroll Thayer at a centre for young children that is even closer than Paradix (hee!). I think I will not be bothered.
Then Meredith appears, face painted like a cat. She shares that she has had a wonderful day – her group went on an outing to La Villette, which is a huge and fun-filled park just a few metro stops from us. Evidently, she became one of the main face painters and did a bunch of the other children. Another girl had loaned her a pretty hair elastic to keep it all off of her face. They had a picnic lunch with tuna salad and oranges, she reported. She also participated in a parade “of Romans” she said. I will need to verify.
As we’re leaving, one of the women staff members asks Meredith if she’ll be back next week. Meredith says no. I say yes. Meredith looks very pleased! On the street, we saw another girl with face paint. Meredith runs over to her and gives her bisous (that’s French for little kisses on both cheeks) and explains that she, Meredith, painted this girl’s face. My girl seems so proud and happy!
It would seem that the day was an unqualified success. And the pizza was delicious, as well! Next stop: paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.
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