The Stray Balloon

 

We had a birthday bash for the CFO, and there were balloons floating around in the office after that.  One stray one was still stuck on the ceiling as I about to leave.  I hopped and grabbed the string and tied the thing to my bag strap.  It seemed perfectly natural for me to take it home, even though everyone stared at me amused, and I'd say that it makes my bag lighter.  Even though my kids are no longer fascinated by these colorful round things that could float up instead of hang downwards or fall on the floor like all other things, but fly into the sky if you let go of the string.

 

It somehow reminded me of the kids' early years when we dropped by at the local supermarket one evening.  They must have been giving away free balloons, as we noticed some other kids walking around, even some with more than one in their hands, and their parents smiling from ear to ear.  My kids looked at them longingly and wifey said, "Ooh we're a bit too late as usual..."  I thought I could just go buy some and blow them up, but then they're not the same, as they couldn't fly.  After prowling around without really shopping for anything, we decided to leave.  As soon as we reached our parked car, wifey yelled, "there, they're giving out balloons again!!!"  Wifey grabbed the elder girl's hand while I carried the baby and we ran back to the supermarket's entrance just in time to grab ONE FREE BALLOON..... The rest were gone from the Clown's hands in a jiffy.  It was then I noticed the DJ was making some remarks about a parent with a kid that just ran in exhausted for the sake of free balloons for the kids.  I thought, hey, what's become of us?  Rushing like crazy for something of such low value.  What a spectacle!  I looked at my kids and wondered if they're as enthusiastic about getting free balloons as their parents were. 

 

As we wandered around again wishing we had another balloon for the younger one, we noticed some stray balloons stuck to the ceiling of the supermarket.  They're too high up for me to grab any.  Wifey and I looked at each other and I shrugged and gave her a resigned smile.

 

Somehow, I wish this one stray balloon I got now could go back in time to fill that little disappointment I had back then.  But when I went into the house with it, the youngest (who wasn't there yet when we were rushing for those balloons) raised both hands and said, "Uh uh, don't give it to me!! Don't give it to me!!" 

 

I know lah.  She's too old for that now.  Sigh... have they just grown up a little too fast?