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Kyle's Lammas Lesson
by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle's Lammas Lesson, by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle is a little boy who lives in a big city. He lives in big apartment building with 12 other families, and every family is very different, but they all get along. Kyle has a mom and a dad and a big orange cat named Sneaky. Like every other family in the big apartment building, Kyle's family is different, too.As Kyle was sitting at the kitchen table reading one of his comic books, he heard a knock on the back door. Kyle looked up and saw a figure in the window through the thin, white blinds. He heard the knocking again, but this time it was louder. "Is anyone home?" a deep voice said, and Kyle recognized it as Mr. Kowalski, the nice man downstairs. Kyle walked up to the door and peered through the blinds. When he saw Mr. Kowalski, he answered the door.
"Hiya Mr. Kowalski," Kyle said and smiled at his neighbor. "Hey buddy," Mr. Kowalski said. "Is your mom and dad home?" "Mom's in the shower," Kyle replied, "and dad's still at work." "Oh, I see," Mr. Kowalski replied. "Well, when your mom is ready, have her come see me." Kyle nodded. "Will do," he replied and gently closed the door.
Kyle sat back down at the table and continued to read his comic book. It was a very exciting adventure about a fierce barbarian warrior who just just about to enter a long-forgotten mystical glass castle.
Kyle instantly became entralled in his story when his mom walked in, wearing a fuzzy white bathrobe and slippers. "Have you been keeping an eye on this?" his mom asked. Kyle was so enveloped in his story that she surprised him! "Uhhh...," Kyle replied. "No, I forgot," he said as he sadly looked at his mom. "Kyle," she said sternly, "I told you this was important!" Kyle's mom pointed to the pot that was simmering on the stove.
As she lifted the lid, steam rolled out of the pot and revealed a chicken covering lots of bright, green and orange vegetables. The kitchen filled with the wonderful smell of stewed onions and herbs, and Kyle tried to breathe it all in at once. Kyle's mom lifted the chicken and placed it on a tray, and then stirred the vegetables underneath. She added a glass of water, gave the vegetables one more quick stir, and then put the chicken back in.
When she put the lid back on, Kyle gently tugged on her robe. "I almost forgot to tell you," he said urgently, "but Mr. Kowalski said he needed to talk to you." "When was this?" his mom asked. "When you were in the shower," Kyle replied. "He was looking for you or dad." Kyle's mom thanked him for the message and went into her bedroom to dress.
When Kyle's mom dressed and dried her hair, she walked down the back stairs to see what Mr. Kowalski needed. She knocked on his screen and waited for him to answer. "Hi, Bill," she said when Mr. Kowalski answered the door. "What's up?" "Beth and I driving out to the state fair tomorrow and we were wondering if you all would like to join us," Mr. Kowalski said. "We're making a weekend camping out of the trip as well." "That would be fantastic!" Kyle's mom replied. "Let me ask Dannie first though to make sure he can get off work." "Fine, fine," Mr. Kowalski replied. "We've got that large car over there, so there's plenty of room," he added. "Just come downstairs in the morning if you're coming. We're leaving at 9 o'clock. Just be sure to bring an overnight bag. We have everything else covered." he continued. "Will do!" Kyle's mom replied excitedly. She waved good-bye and leaped up the stairs.
When she got upstairs, Kyle's mom ran for the phone to make a phone call. Kyle looked up from his comic book and wondered what all the fuss was about. "Hon," his mom spoke into the phone, "it's me and have I got news!" She walked with the phone into the bathroom and shut the door tightly behind her. Kyle wondered why his mom would be going to the bathroom while she was on the phone!
When his mom came back out, she hung up the phone and smiled brightly. "Mom," Kyle stated as he pointed to the bathroom, "you forgot to flush," Kyle's mom laughed very loud. "No honey," she said, "I just wanted some privacy for a moment." Kyle giggled because he thought she was doing something else in the bathroom besides talking on the phone. "I do have some exciting news for you though," she continued. "Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski downstairs invited us to go with them to the state fair!" Kyle instantly became very excited! "I called your dad to make sure he didn't have to work tomorrow so that we could go." She walked back into the kitchen to check on her chicken again. "I didn't mean to be sneaky," she continued, "but I didn't want to tell you first only to find out dad has to work." Kyle understood. He knew it would be a real let-down if he knew about the fair and then couldn't go.
As Kyle put his comic book away and began to set the table, all he could think about was the fair. Cotton candy, rides and hot dogs filled his mind. Kyle knew that whenever he went to fairs and carnivals he was allowed to eat things that weren't very healthy, because they were special treats for special days. Pipe organ music and sweet, wonderful smells seemed to fill the air! Through dinner, while he was helping to pack and as he lay in bed, all Kyle could think about was the fair. It sure was hard for Kyle to think of anything else!
The next morning, Kyle was the first one awake. Sneaky was curled up next to him on his bed, and as Kyle began to stretch and sit up, Sneaky lazily stretched himself across the covers. Kyle made himself breakfast and took his bath. He even remembered to brush his teeth and hair! As Kyle got dressed, he quietly spoke to Sneaky. "I want to be very good today, so you have to be good, too!" he whispered. Sneaky meowed loudly and walked towards the kitchen. "Shhhh!" Kyle whispered. "You'll wake up mom and dad!" Sneaky meowed even louder - he was hungry! Kyle rolled his eyes and huffed, then went to feed Sneaky.
Kyle's mom woke up and walked into the kitchen. She saw Kyle feeding Sneaky and noticed he was dressed neatly. "I see someone really wants to go today!" she said. "I sure do!" Kyle replied. "Can we go now?" "Well," his mom replied, "you need to get your dad up first." Kyle smiled brightly. "Okay!" he answered and ran into their bedroom.
Kyle burst through the door and jumped on the bed. "Wake up dad, wake up!" Kyle exclaimed as he shook his dad. His dad stretched and looked at the clock. "Okay buddy, I'm up already!" Kyle's dad sat up, scratched his whiskers and stumbled into the bathroom. "Boy do I need a shave!" he said as he looked in the mirror. He looked at his hands and noticed there was still dirt under his fingernails. Kyle's dad worked alot in the summer, so sometimes it was hard to get him going in the mornings.
Now that his dad was getting in the shower, Kyle checked to see if his mom was getting ready yet. She was slumped at the kitchen table, holding a hot cup of tea. "Mom!" Kyle exclaimed. "You're not getting ready yet!" She slowly looked up and smiled crookedly. "You have to give us grown-ups a little time in the mornings, dear," she replied. "Okayyyy..." Kyle sighed and walked back into their bedroom.
He went into their closet and tried to pick out some clothes for them to wear. He chose a long, pink skirt and a brown blouse for his mom, and brought them into the kitchen. Then, he carried them into the kitchen and presented them to his mom. "Here you go!" he said as he gave her the clothes. "You'll look nice in this!" Kyle's mom cringed at the outfit, but then realized he was only trying to help. "Kyle honey," she said gently, "these are nice, but I had something else in mind." Kyle felt bad, and slumped his head on his shoulders. "Why don't we go into the bedroom together and pick out something else?" she said gently. Kyle thought that would be a good idea, and they did just that.
When everyone was dressed and ready to go, Kyle double-checked the locks and windows. He left out extra food and water for Sneaky, and they all went downstairs, carrying their big suitcase. Kyle's dad knocked on the Kowalski's door and waited for them to answer. Mrs. Kowalski answered the door, dressed and ready to go. "We were thinking you weren't coming!" she said. Kyle's dad looked at his watch and realized it was almost 9 o'clock! "Whoops!" his dad replied. "Well, we made it!" Mrs. Kowalski smiled and walked outside. Mr. Kowalski followed, and locked the door behind them. Everyone walked to their car, Mr. Kowalski unlocked it, and they all climbed in. "Now it's a long drive, so if anyone's got to go, do it now," Mr. Kowalski said flatly. No one said anything, so they buckled their seatbelts and drove off and headed for the expressway.
It sure was a long drive! Kyle was getting pretty bored. As he sat between his mom and dad in the car, he looked out both the windows to see things along the way. Kyle saw lots of other cars and trucks on the road, but the road itself was pretty plain. "Not much to do, buddy?" Kyle's dad said. Kyle nodded. His dad began to play a road game with him, and soon everyone else joined in. "I spy, with my little eye, something that's... green!," his dad said. "A car!" Kyle exclaimed. Kyle's dad smiled. "Well, yes, there is a green car right in front of us. So you're correct." "But what about the road signs? And the trees?" his mom added. "They're green, too!" Kyle's dad laughed. "okay hon, you win, too!" Everyone played this game for a while until they came to a rest area.
It sure was good to get out of the car and stretch! Everyone had a nice picnic and Kyle found some flowers to pick for his mom and Mrs. Kowalski. He asked the flowers in his mind which ones would like to become gifts, and a few replied. he brought them down to his mom and Mrs. Kowalski who were talking at the picnic table. "These are for you for making such a good day!" he said and presented them with a small bunch of very beautiful wildflowers. "Thank you very much, Kyle" Mrs. Kowalski said. Kyle's mom sniffed hers and thanked him as well.
After their break, they hopped back in the car and got back on the road. Mrs. Kowalski hung her flowers from the rear-view mirror, and Kyle's mom placed one of her flowers in her hair. "You look pretty, mom," Kyle said and smiled. His mom thanked him and gave him a hug.
When they finally reached the fair, Kyle was hopping up and down in his seat. Not only was he very excited, but he really needed to find a restroom! "Settle down, buddy!" his dad said firmly. Mr. Kowalski paid the parking fee and drove slowly to find a parking spot. When they parked the car and got out, Kyle tried to run for the gate. "Kyle!" his mom shouted. "Stay with us!" Kyle walked back, crossing his legs. He whispered something in his mom's ear, and she understood the excitement. She whispered something to Kyle's dad and he nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski seemed to understand as well. So everyone walked briskly to the entrance gate and paid the admission. They passed right by all of the rides and headed straight for the restroom area. After that, then they all regrouped and began to tour the fair.
It was just as Kyle imagined it would be, except bigger! Even though Kyle had never been to a fair, he saw pictures of fairs like this. There were rides and games, food and music stations, crafts, and lots of animals. Kyle had never seen animals at a carnival before, so he wondered what that was all about. His mom explained that the farmers all across the state brought in their best crops and livestock to be judged. Winners received prizes they can use on their farms, like tractors and grain. Kyle thought that was a great idea!
Kyle's mom and Mrs. Kowalski bought lots and lots of fruits and vegetables to bring back home. They bought so much that Kyle thought they needed a second car! "With all of that food, where am I going to sit?" Kyle moaned. "We have a big trunk, Kyle," Mrs. Kowalski said. "Don't you worry about that!" "And besides," his mom added, "some of this is for our supper tonight at the campsite!" Kyle felt relieved, and let his mom continue to shop.
Kyle sampled all kinds of food: roasted corn on the cob, freshly bake breads and pies, sandwiches and, of course, goodies! "Mom," Kyle asked, "why does the food taste so good here?" His mom looked at him funny. "Don't like my cooking?" she teased and poked him gently. "No, not that" he giggled. "Corn doesn't normally taste this good!" "Well that's because it was picked yesterday!" she smiled. "This is their first harvest of the season, and they're showing off the best of their crops. So you are eating the best corn!" Kyle understood and nibbled on his ear of corn some more. "We also celebrate a first harvest, Kyle," his dad added. "And what you're eating is a perfect example of that!" Kyle smiled and ate some more. "A long time ago, before there were supermarkets, the first harvest was very important," his mom added. "If the crops failed, people would go hungry!" Kyle thought about not being able to eat. What a terrible thing that would be! "So at the first harvest, people would gather at fairs just like this one and celebrate what Nature had provided for them." Kyle smiled and learned a new appreciation for all of the good things the farmers did for everyone.
When the judging began, Kyle was very eager to watch the contests. He really hoped the good farmers would win, so they could get the prizes they needed to work on their farms. There were contests for the best pigs and cattle, as well as for the best corn and wheat. Kyle learned all of the things the animals provided, as well as the grains. In fact, Kyle gained a new appreciation for all of the good things his mom made for him every day!
As he watched, he saw the very sad faces of the farmers who didn't win, and the estatic expressions of those who did. Kyle walked up to one of the corn farmers who lost the contest. "Mister," Kyle said, "I'm sorry you lost, but I just wanted to say thank you for growing food for everybody to eat." The man felt tears well up in his eyes. "thank you, son," the kindly man replied. "That's the nicest thing I've heard all day." Kyle smiled and waved good-bye to him, and walked back to his family and the Kowalski's. "That was a very nice thing you did," his mom said. "I just felt I had to" Kyle replied. Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski smiled as well.
After the fair, they headed out to a nearby camp ground and set up. While Kyle and his dad helped Mr. Kowalski pitch the tent, his mom and Mrs. Kowalski started the fire and began to make supper. They brought a huge pot out of the trunk and filled it with water and tossed in lots and lots of chopped vegetables. Kyle knew this was going to be a great feast!
As the sun began to set, they all gathered around the fire and sang different songs. When supper was ready, they thanked the farmers for providing their meal as well as Nature for letting it grow so well. They enjoyed a delicious vegetable soup and some fresh bread from the fair. They also shared a strawberry pie for dessert. Kyle ate so much that he thought his stomach was going to burst! Even so, he had a second helping of pie, because it was just so good!
When it became late, Kyle and his parents crawled into the tent and curled up with them to go to sleep. Kyle looked out at the star-lit sky and thought about all of the good things that happened that day. In his mind, he again thanked the farmers for growing and raising the food, and he also remembered to thank the Gods for helping the food to grow.