Umbrella!!

Yesterday, I had a very atypical ride on the subway. You can't see my face but I'm laughing a bit as I type this. Sitting here writing as I am now, there was suddenly an explosive emotional outburst as someone flew by me yelling. At first, I thought it was an emergency as usual but it turned out to be an overzealous four year old with an umbrella. The tyke was screaming at the top of his lungs, running through the train and opening and closing it rapidly over his head. “Umbrella!! Umbrella UMBRELLA!!” he gleefully shouted. My shock turned to laughter as the smile on his face slowly changed as his horrifed and viciously angry mother lunged for him while dragging two smaller children behind her. Letting loose the most vehement sounding exhalation of what seemed to be obscenities in Mandarin she lunged for the precocious child. He stood his ground attempting to open and close the umbrella and continue his tirade. The angry flow of words never ceased in their intensity and although I was laughing I thought to myself, “This kid is so dead.” So there you have it, riding the T and living in Boston isn't always a bad experience, occasionally some little kid decides its time to break you out of your thick walled stupor and remind you what it means to have unbridled joy, no regard for social mores and to just have fun.