Part 4: Chapter 4

Possum

Thursday, May 14, 2020
	We are in the front yard enjoying the evening’s golden hour. The sun in the west lights up the top of Auntie Bev’s Chinese elms with a honey-colored light. The air is cool. Birds are singing. Nephew Gilbert has set up his easels in the front yard and seems to be painting our neighbor's gargantuan cactus tree. His easel is pointed away from us, though, and we can’t tell for sure.
	The children are racing down the sidewalk on their big wheels. Johnny is on his balance bike. He looks too small to be balancing on two wheels. The older kids didn’t learn this skill until a short time ago, but Johnny seems to be physically advanced. He doesn’t speak, but he can sure ride a bike.
	Theo speeds by while shouting, “I’m the fastest in the world!”
	Opal sticks out her lower lip and says to him, “Theo, I feel like you’re telling me I’m slow when you say that.”
	Theo does not know how to answer this. His response is to just stare and then start up the hill to careen down again, repeating the same thing. Do not know if I ought to ask him to stop shouting this or to tell Opal to stop taking it so personally.