Tag Archives: bratty kids

In the Motel Breakfast Room, True Story for Friday Writings Prompt

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Image

In the Motel Breakfast Room

That little boy is screaming and mad.
At eight in the morning, he’s already bad!
He tasted his waffle and doesn’t want more.
He just dumped his Fruit Loops all over the floor.

His mom didn’t see from her side of the room.
The attendant was swift with her dustpan and broom.
She removed all the cereal dumped at my feet
by the brattiest child I ever did meet.

I came to this place for some coffee and quiet.
I didn’t expect to encounter a riot.
He’s having a tantrum. He will not sit down.
His voice at screech level, his mouth set on frown.

Does he want to go back to the room? asks his mother
as she struggles to feed both his sister and brother.
At this breakfast bar set up for all of the guests,
regrettably, no sign says, “We don’t serve pests.”

Last night when my friend went to get us some ice,
“Excuse me, Excuse me,” the desk clerk said twice
as he ran down the hall in a manner uncool
heading straight for the door that leads into the pool.

Now I can imagine this terrible kid
pushing some button. (I bet that he did!)
that signaled “Emergency Call 911!”
watching the panic and calling it fun.

The manager thinking “perhaps a cracked head!”
but encountering only this bad boy instead.
Now this morning my coffee was ruined by his cries.
This early-day tantrum a rite I despise.

I started to gather my coffee and fruit,
then grabbed a few creamers and sweeteners to boot.
When from my eye’s corner before I could stand,
at the edge of my table  I saw a small hand.

I looked up to encounter a smile ear-to-ear.
That horrible child looked ever so dear!
He flashed me the smile, for a moment stood near,
then departed the room nevermore to appear.

When I looked at the table, an astonishing sight.
He’d left me one Fruit Loop right there in plain sight.
That child’s behavior now leaves me in doubt
whether I should remember the smile or pout.

Was my disapproval so plain to see
that this tiny child could see right through me?
And had he the wisdom to do what he did
simply to remind me a kid is a kid?

 

For the Poets and Storytellers United Friday Writings Prompt

Big Beast, Little Brat!!!

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img_5383The car on the left was the one I requested.  The car on the right was the one I got!!!!

When I was still trying to make it up to the Cabot trail in Nova Scotia in the black beast pictured above, I stopped at a big red barn restaurant—the only place close to the motel where I stayed for the night.  The meal was not memorable and was accompanied by the agony of a girl child in the next booth who SCREAMED in a high shrill voice for at least half of the time to the accompaniment of a mother who occasionally ineffectively tried to shush her.  It occurred to me that I could move, but at that point she started running up and down the length of the restaurant, piping “Ring around the rosy” in her irritatingly shrill and LOUD voice. Since I hesitated to turn to fix her with my own shaming glare, I  never laid eyes on her until they finally left half way through my meal. By her behavior, I had thought she must be three or so,  but was amazed to see when they finally left that she was more like five or six.

It was an incredible relief until another man came in with what looked like the same child. They blessedly sat a few booths beyond me as she seemed to  possess the same voice and irritating behavior.  At least, however, she stayed in her own booth—a bit further from my unappreciative ear than the last child.  The meal was forgettable.  The experience wasn’t. But, when I left, I at least snapped this photo which illustrates well the difference between the car I wanted and the gas-guzzling technologically puzzling beast that Hertz actually issued me.  We parted company last night. Such a relief to hand it back to its rightful owners.