there was this woman with three children seated across my side of the mrt on the way to work. I surprised myself by wishing i were as bold as other people are. I wanted, for a rare split second, to call out to her and tell her how adorable the kids were. And i did find them so. But not so much as a smile escaped from me. The urge was great, and the effort to shut up qreater that it brought tears to my eyes.
The first that caught my consciousness was the youngest of the three. Dressed simply in a summery shirt-and-short ensemble, the boy had cracker crumbs on his lips and a surly look - it was then that i noticed that his expression was entirely directed towards his brother on his right. His keeper, on his left, had just signalled the other boy to give him more of the crackers.
Older böy complies. Struck me as intelliqent and wise. I don't know why. It was his expression. It was obvious that he had nothing but sweet toleration for this four-year-old whose only interest consisted of his mother's (?) presence nearby and that darned plastic-wrapped biscuit.