Solitude? Or Brooding...

MM was ... different tonight.

When H and I first entered their house, he didn't run over to greet us as he always did, either with a smile or a dance. Instead, he stayed where he was -- in front of the tv, quiet and subdued.

He livened up when we went inside his room to play and during dinner, but after dinner, when I was alone with him, he was quiet once again. He wants me to read Chinese and handed me his flashcards, but when I showed him a card, he wouldn't read it. Instead, he said, "No!" I repeated this a lot of times, and each time, the answer was the same.

He then upended the box of flashcards on the floor, and proceeded to put the cards back into the box. One by one by one. When everything was in the box, he'd repeat the process. My attempts to get him to read the cards or interested in other activities came to no end.

I even sang his favorite song, "London Bridge is falling down", in hopes that he'd sing his favorite, made-up verse,

"Build it up with diapers (should be "iron bars")
Diapers, diapers
Build it up with diapers
My fair lady (or he'd sometimes substitute "lady" with "a-tut", his favorite, made-up word)."

All to no avail.

Finally, I had to call on his favorite uncle, H. MM finally perked up when the word "ball" was mentioned.

Boys.

H and I wondered at his mood. We wondered if he knew he was going away the next day, back to the Philippines for Christmas.

No, we thought. He wouldn't understand that he'd be leaving Singapore to go to the Philippines. Maybe to him, it'd just be a ride to SM MOA or Shangri-La.

He did perk up during the rest of the night, when we played "human tunnel" and watched DVD. Finally, he did sing his favorite verse with his usual cute smile and liveliness.

But it still didn't feel the same. Maybe I was the only one feeling it, the pall of their leaving the next day hanging over my head. Of course, they'd be back in January, when MM has to go to school (five days a week!) for the first time in his young life. (They do start school early these days. He's barely two!)

I guess I never would have thought that he'd worm his way into our hearts in two short months. I remember how apprehensive I was when he was first coming, how he looked at us with that blank stare through the airport glass. He knew who we were, but there were no memories, no affection between us. Yet. Nothing to tie him to us, nor us to him.

I thought it'd take us some time before he'd warm to me, to us. I know you can't force things with kids; you have to let them come to you in their own time. But barely two days later, and we were "best friends". My brother and SIL say I'm his favorite. During mealtimes, MM would tell me to sit beside him. (wow, place of honor!) Whenever I didn't go to their house, he'd ask H where I was. Yet, the fickleness of kids. I only held the title for a month and a half, I think. Now, his favorite is his uncle H. It's uncle this or uncle that.

I mean to wrest back that title next year! LOL